Final Fantasy VII: Shattered Memories
by Wolf Lover-Vamp Hater
Summary: "What I have shown you is reality. What you remember...that is an illusion." His words rung in her head like a bell. Maybe, just maybe, her world doesn't exist anymore...maybe all those memories she lost were just pieces to an illusion...RenoxOC
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Just to warn everybody, this is a self insert fanfic, please to not throw rocks at me. Though the plot will be exactly like the game, I'm just going to add a few twists of my own. Okay...here goes the first chapter. I hope you like it._

* * *

Cat like Eyes

"_He's one of the good guys, right?"  
_-Barrett Wallace referring to Sephiroth

* * *

"Silver, what should we do later today?" Silver Eve Ronaldo's best friend, Devon, chirpy voice made her almost cringe in pain.

Silver sighed, and began rubbing her temples. "I don't know Dev; I'm not feeling too good, just ask Jake to take you out."

Devon crossed her arms across her chest after taking a sip of her coffee. "But you've been sick almost every day; we never get to hang out anymore."

Silver sighed, and took a bite of her donut, and swallowed. "I'm really sorry…I just need to rest some mosre. You know me I get migraines all the time."

Silver's greened eyed friend watched with worry as Silver hissed in pain and began messaging her temples.

"I think you should go to the hospital."

The black hair girl's eyes snapped up so quickly that Devon had to blink a few times before processing her movements. Silver scowled at her friend, and continued rubbing her temples.

Devon simply shook her head, an amused smile graced on her lips. "You're still paranoid about hospitals aren't ya?"

"It's not paranoia, it's a phobia."

Devon nodded, her caramel curls jumping up and down. "Sure, sure, Sil, whatever you say."

Silver once again scowled at best friend, and got up from her seat. "I'm going home."

Devon got up from her seat as well, rushing to Silver's side before they threw out their trash and walked out of _Borders_, they're usual place to be after a school each day, but they spend more hours there today, since it's Friday, so they could relax and talk in peace.

Though, peace for Silver won't be coming in a while. Her headache's have been constant all this week, for some reason, not once have they disappeared, though it's a little less painful when she lays down and goes to sleep, or when she plays her favorite game of all time, _Final Fantasy VII._

Devon makes fun of her for being a total _Final Fantasy _geek, but Silver isn't afraid to admit it. She even brought the dvd to school one day to show everybody that she loves _Final Fantasy_ and isn't afraid to admit it.

"You'll drive me home, won't you?"

Silver sighed and ignored her friend's pleading eyes and continued walking. "No."

"Why?"

"Just call Jake; I'm sure your pretty boyfriend would be more than happy to take you?"

Devon sighed in defeat, and took out her cell phone from her blue sweater's pocket. "Fine, I'll call him…" the young girl jabbed a finger at Silver. "But just so you know, you'll have to drive me next time, take me wherever I want to go for a whole week."

Silver sighed but nodded, then winced and began rubbing her temples again.

"You sure you don't want to go to the hospital."

"No! Stop being such a drama queen, Dev, jeez." The dark hair girl began walking toward the parking lot, towards her black SUV.

"See ya later, Alligator."

Silver chuckled slightly, and sent Devon a single wave good bye over her shoulder. She clicked a button on her keychain and she heard the click of her doors unlocking. She opened the driver's door open and sat on the seat, and rested her head against the steering wheel. She waited for the pounding in her head to soften before shoving her key into the ignition and giving it a little twist, and listened to the soft hum coming out of her engine. She shifted her gear to drive, and began moving out of the parking lot.

Her mind drifts off to her favorite game. Sometimes she wishes that her life was like _Final Fantasy VII. _Silver loves that game with all of her heart and sometimes dreams meeting the characters from the game. Her life, being an eighteen year old, hasn't been all that well. Her parents were both drug addicts, and at times her dad would hit her, that's why growing up, she's always been bitter. It wasn't until she met Devon in high school that she learned to live your life to the fullest and not to focus on the bad things.

So she did just that and moved out of her parent's house in an early and into her own small place close to her school, thanks to her life's saving she had enough money to buy the house and furniture. On her free time, she plays her favorite game, and then sleeps, or does homework. But with her headache being there in her head all week long, she hasn't been able to play _Final Fantasy_ so when she comes back home, she'll take some pain medicine and play it.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she felt her brain give a hard _thud_. She hissed and pain and her right hand let go of the steering wheel and rubbed her right temple. This pain she felt has been the worst she felt all week, and this caused her eyes to water. Everything became a blur once her car drove over a wooden bridge above a lake.

She wiped the tears out of her eyes but it's still all too blurry, she can't see anything and panics.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Cursing under her breath, Silver opens her eyes wide to try to focus her eyes on the road. But it's useless. "Fuck!"

But the yelling only made the pounding in her head worse. This time though, it felt like hammers were trying to crack open her skull. She let out a scream of pain, and let go of the steering wheel to squeeze her head.

Silver didn't know that she's on a bridge, and it was wide one too, she didn't see how her car wasn't going straight, it moved its way to the wooden railing and crashed into it, landing the deep water of the lake.

Before Silver even hit the water, her head gave one final _thud _before she blacked out.

* * *

Silver's cold, shivering so hard that her whole body looked like it was a having a seizure. She felt pressure on her chest and then warm lips on her, blowing air in her lungs.

Her throat burns, her muscles are sore, but every time she feels the pressure on her chest she feels her breath coming out of her lungs.

"Come on, kid."

Silver hears a voice, barely, but is glad she isn't alone. She still can't breathe right, she's choking.

"You ain't goin' die on me now, are ya?"

With one final pressure, Silver felt something push its way out of her lungs and out of her mouth. She coughed—though it burns her throat—and kept spitting water out of her mouth, glad that she's able to breathe again.

"Open your eyes, kid, I wanna make sure you ain't dead."

Silver did what the man asked and opened—slowly—but shut them close by the light shooting into her sensitive eyes.

"That's all right, just trying gettin' used to it."

Silver tried again, and this time, waiting bit-by-bit, before fully opening them.

At first all she could see were nothing but trees, and the smell of fresh air. But then a figure hovered over her, smiling down at her, relief written on his face. Silver studied the man with mild curiosity. He seemed to be over the age of thirty, probably thirty-three. He has shaggy blond hair, sun kissed skin, dark blue eyes, and a bit of stubble on his chin. His eyes are wrinkled from smiling too much, and his smile is welcoming, warm, and wide.

"Where," Silver's voice caught in her throat. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Where am I?"

The man's smile faltered slightly. "Kid, how can you not know where you came from?"

Silver didn't respond to the man, instead she tried to sit up, but found it difficult. She clenched her teeth so she wouldn't hiss out in pain. The man helped her up though, even wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her stand up. Silver wrapped her arm around the man's neck before she fell onto the ground again.

"Thank you."

The man nodded. "No problem, kid, it's my pleasure." He then cocked his head to the side and glanced at the young girl out of the corner of his eye. "What's your name?"

"Hmm?" Momentarily confused by the sudden question, Silver curiously cocked her head, before continuing. "Oh, Silver…and yours?"

"Silver, huh?" The man chuckled lightly. "Fits ya nicely, your eyes are silver…was that why you're parents name you Silver, 'cause of your eyes."

The young girl nodded, and began walking. She doesn't know where she's going, but she figured out that this man would lead her out of this…forest? It seems like it. It looks familiar to her somehow, like she's seen it somewhere before, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

So instead, Silver asked the man's name once again.

He chuckled and stopped walking so he can tighten his grip on her shivering body, before walking again.

"The names Aiden Walberg."

"Nice to meet you Aiden," Silver smiled at the older man before turning her attention in front of her.

She wondered how she got here, wasn't she driving awhile ago, and how in the hell did she end up in the water, where did the road go, it just disappeared out of nowhere, and what the hell happened to her agonizing headache it's…gone. Being on a string of life and death and it's gone? She isn't sure if she should be happy or worried.

"Aiden?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened…to me? How did I end up here?" _Where ever here is?_ Silver thought to herself as she looked at the familiar scenery before her.

Aiden used his free hand to rub his chin. "I ain't too sure, kid. I was walkin' into the forest, close to the village of course, what idiot would travel far," Aiden shook his head at the thought. "I was looking for some berries for my kid, when suddenly out of the blue I heard something like…something big crashing into water? I wasn't too what it was, but there was a big splash," The older man chuckled, and ruffled his hair with his free hand.

"I went to check what I heard, I think I walked about a mile before I found this huge pond, and guess what was laying face down on the water?"

"Me?" Silver's voice came out soft and weak, which made her curse under her breath.

"Bingo," Aiden chuckled nervously at the glare Silver sent him. Obviously she didn't like the way Aiden said "bingo" so lightly. "I mean yeah, I found you…drownin' and half dead. I swam to the middle of the pond and dragged you out. Then I did that….that, damn what's it called?"

"Mouth to mouth recitation?"

Aiden snapped his fingers, "Yeah, that. You looked kinda…beat up."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you have a broken rib, kid. And bruises all over your body, and your really pale, Silver."

Silver looked at her free arm and saw on her bicep a large bruise, so far that's the only damage she could see, but she can feel the pain in her ribs and in her legs, and figured that Aiden is right. But how did she end up here is the question that's been bugging her.

"Did you get in a fight or somethin'?"

Aiden's sudden rough voice snapped Silver out of her thoughts. "Hmmm?"

"I asked if you got in a fight…you ain't a good listener are ya?"

Silver ignored the man's jab and answered his earlier one. "No, I didn't fight anyone. But I don't remember how I got here. I mean, I was driving somewhere," Silver tried to remember _where_ she was driving to, but her mind went blank, "and then I blacked out…and end up in a forest?" She then looked up at Aiden. "How does that happen?"

The blond man snorted at her ridiculous question. "How am I supposed to know, kid? I ain't no expert on that kind of crap. I'm no genius."

Silver was about to make a snappy remark but stopped herself from doing so. The man was kind enough to save her life, she owed him that much.

Silver then heard a twig snap somewhere deep in the trees. The darkening sky didn't help her sight, and she can feel a flutter of panic somewhere near in her gut. Something's not right.

"Aiden, what exactly is so dangerous about this forest?"

Before the thirty year old could answer, a dog like creature jumped out of its hiding place and gracefully landed in front of the two. But this isn't just a normal dog, this…_beast_, is fairly larger than any other dog she has ever seen, and considering that the dog has pure black fur, razor sharp teeth, and gleaming red eyes, made her terrified.

"Fuck," Silver heard her companion curse under his breath. "This is why the forest is dangerous."

Silver stood there in shock, unable to form words as the dog took closer steps near them.

"Silver, I ain't gonna leave you here, alright?" Those words didn't comfort her, what if she died, what if they both died. "You think you can manage on your own?"

Silver nodded, still not able to make a sound. She took her arms off of Aiden's neck, as the other man let go of her waist. Silver's feet felt a little like jell-o, but after a few seconds, she regained her balance, though the pain in her ribs and legs made her feel useless and powerless.

"Here," Silver looked down at the man's hand, in his hand is a rather large, thick dagger.

She took it without hesitation. "What about you?"

"Already got one, kid, don't worry about me." Then without warning, the man attacked the beast.

Silver let out a small squeak as she watched her new friend—though they just met—attack the dog with seeing any kind of fear in his eye.

Aiden's used his speed to his advantage, stabbing the dog on the leg was a good idea. The dog howled in pain, but Silver didn't expect how fast it actually was. In a flash, the dog growled and snapped at Aiden, but he dodge just in time and tried to stab his dagger into the dog's temple, but the beast jumped away. Now, the beast's back is facing Silver, and she thought that this would be a great time to move.

And she did just that, ignoring the stabbing pain in her legs, she ran to the dog and stabbed one of the back legs, and jumped back quickly before it attacked her.

The wolf howled in pain once again, and jumped sideways, so that it'll be facing both of them.

_It's smarter than it looks_, Silver mused as the wolf's eye's calculated each person's next move.

"Have you ever faced a monster like this?" Silver asked with slight panic in her voice.

Aiden shook his head. "Nah…but it's 'bout damn time. I always wanted to face monster that would be a challenge."

Silver shook her head, thinking that the man that saved her life might be crazy.

She came rushing to the dog—again ignoring the pains—and dodged its bite. She took this as her chance to jump on the dogs head and sit on the neck, grabbing onto its fur for dear life.

"Girl, you're one crazy chick!" Aiden yelled, worried by his new friend, and decided to attack the wolf seeing as how it's distracted by Silver.

Aiden stabbed the wolf's stomach and gave it a hard twist. The wolf, however, seemed more annoyed then hurt by his wound. Momentarily forgetting the girl on his neck, his teeth snapped onto the man's body, gripping him tighter and thrashing his head around, causing its teeth to dig deeper into the man's body. Aiden yelped in pain, and used all its strength to stab it in the eye.

The blood that squirted out of its eye had no affect on Aiden he just kept pushing the knife in, but he was becoming weaker. His body was shutting down, he could feel it, and he accepted it. Though the face of his son and wife stayed in his mind, he couldn't but feel terrified of leaving them behind. But…

"It'll all be alright." Aiden whispered oh so softly.

Silver watched in horror how Aiden's body laid limp in the dog's teeth. She yelled out in anger, used her left hand to hold onto the dog's fur, and stab its head with the other. The dog howled in pain, dropping Aiden in the process.

She pulled the dagger out of the beast's head and jumped off, falling onto her knees when she felt an agonizing pain hitting her legs and ribs.

"Son of a bitch."

Momentarily distracted by the pain, she didn't realize the dog coming at her. But her keen hearing was enough warning to hear him coming. She turned around as quickly as she could, but she didn't move fast enough as the wolf swiped its right claw across Silver's abdomen. The young girl cried out in pain, before falling onto her knees, grabbing her belly and feeling nothing but pain and blood.

The wolf growled, and this time, Silver is ready. In a flash, Silver stood up and round house kicked the beast's face with enough force to knock it on the ground. Her surprise was enough to bury the pain all over her body. She wonders how she was able to do that, kicking it like a professional.

But she didn't dwell on it for too long, and ran to it before it got up, and stabbed its head multiple times; ignoring the pains in her abdomen, before it finally fell completely, on the soft ground. Silver wiped the beast's blood off of her face, and finally fell onto the ground.

But then her silver like eyes snapped open once she remembered Aiden. "Fuck," getting up off the ground, though whimpering from the pain, she limped her way to a dying Aiden. Though she only met this man a few minutes ago, she couldn't help but feel anguish by his limp body. Once she was next to his body, she fell onto her knees, her hands hovering over his large bite wounds.

"It's alright, kid." Silver jumped at his smoker like voice. He sounds…._dead_, but somehow he's still _alive_. Silver let a tear slip out of her eye.

"I'm sorry."

"It a-ain't your fault, kid," Silver became worried, he's gasping for air.

Aiden grabbed her hand tightly. "Do me a favor, will ya?" He gasped. Silver nodded. "Find my family," he wheezed in some air before continuing, "and tell them…what happened….tell them that I love them….and that….I'll always….be with…them," Aiden swallowed his own blood, and then cleared his throat. "Understand?"

"I understand."

This time, Silver let her voice be weak, she showed Aiden how broken she is, she showed him how much she's affected by this, something she would have never done. But she wonders why, though, that she knows so much about herself, but remembers nothing from her past. It's all…blank.

A low chuckle snapped Silver away from her thoughts. She glared down at Aiden for acting so lightly about his current situation.

_No one should be acting this lightly when they're about to die…no one._

But her glare softens when she saw him cringe in pain.

The last words that escaped his mouth were, "Too bad we…don't have any healing materia, huh, kid," before his blue eyes hid behind eye lids, and before his breathing stopped all together.

Silver recognizes that word from somewhere…_materia_. Where has she heard it before?

Suddenly, Silver shook her head. Now isn't the time to be thinking these kinds of stuff, it won't help Aiden… or his family. She decided then, as she carefully got up from her current position—wincing albeit, but still got up without harming herself further. She held her bleeding body and whimpered slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll find your family," Silver whispered to Aiden's body. She began limping away from the body, looking for a trial that might lead her out of the forest.

Ignoring all the pain, she continued walking with her chin set high and a determined gleam in her eye.

* * *

A few hours later, Silver finally made it out of the forest. But she didn't feel happy as she thought she would be. Her body, aching more than before, felt like salt has been on all of her open wounds, especially her bigger wound. Her thirst and hunger is something else to worry about, she's parched. Her lips are cracked, her tongue is dry, and her throat feels like it's on fire. Her shivering body is the last thing to worry about. She's on a brick of freezing to death.

So is she happy to be have made out of the forest? Not really.

But she decided that this a good time to finally fall onto the ground. Though it caused her pain to fall onto the floor, it made her happy that her muscles could finally relax. She sighed and closed her eyes, and opened them the next second. She looked up at the sky, a lot of stars and a moon. Silver knows that she never seen things before, but she knows what they are. Frustration irked in her. Knowing nothing about her past is, if anything, frustrating, especially since the only thing she remembered was her driving, having a huge headache and then passed put.

She sighed once again, and dropped her head so that her left ear is on the ground. Her eyes landed on a mountain, a large mountain. Again, she had this nagging feeling like she was here before, but doesn't know from where.

But she didn't dwell on it much, and closed her eyes, feeling like she was going to pass out at any second.

"Oh my Goddess!" a sudden yell made Silver's eyes snap out, though the heaviness of her eye lids fought to keep her eyes close…but she wouldn't.

"Someone help! Please!" Silver could faintly see a woman with white sandals run away from her, her legs disappearing when she ran past a house?

_Am I so weak that I can't walk over there?_ Yes, she decided. Yes she is. Her body just can't take anymore.

"Sir, please you have to help me! There's a girl—a girl is with blood, please!"

Her eyes were half way close when she began seeing the woman with the white sandals running her way to her, but an extra pair of feet walked calmly behind her. _Boots_, black boots were coming closer.

The woman kneeled down next to her, giving Silver a better look at her face. She has blond hair, brown eyes, and she's very pretty for her age. Though there are some bags under her eyes, and the look in her eyes is not only worried but sad and motherly.

"Thank you sir," the woman pushed aside some of Silver's hair of her face to get a better look at her face. "Are you okay sweetie?"

Silver didn't answer; she just blinked up at the woman, half aware of what she's saying.

"Pardon me, ma'am." The gruff and masculine voice caused the woman to give Silver a soft pat on the cheek.

"It's okay, he'll take care of you. Go to sleep now." Silver felt herself being lifted off of the ground, being cradled gently by a strong man brought comfort to her, and began closing her eyes.

The last thing she saw before blacking out was silvery white and cat like eyes.

* * *

_AN: So what you think? Please contructive critisim is advice._

_Tell me if you liked it, or hated it, or if you that it was okay?_

_Please review._

_:( sad face if you don't._


	2. Chapter 2

Cynical

_"Words aren't the only way to tell someone how you feel."  
_-Tifa Lockhart

* * *

_Silver's dream made no sense. Though, she was interacting with everything that happened in it, she made no sense of it. It's like she just smiles and stay quiet so people won't question if she was listening, though there are some parts that looks so familiar…so dangerously familiar._

_She sees a girl, a girl with curly caramel colored hair, olive skin, and dark green eyes. _Devon_ is the first word she thinks of when she sees this girl. Silver isn't sure if it's her name or not, but it doesn't change the fact that she has s_een_ her from somewhere._

_The girl (Devon?) smiles brightly at her, and Silver couldn't help but smile back. She didn't talk to the girl, nor did the girl speak to Silver, but words were not needed to express each other's feelings; their face expression was all that they needed. The girl cocked her head to the side— a wordless question._

_Silver just shook her head and tried to smile convincingly, though she knew it back-fired when she saw the green- eyed girl roll her eyes. _

"Really, Sil, you're going to lie to me. I can read you like a book…tell me what's going on?"

_Silver's mind went to two other people; a man that has her crow-black, wavy hair and almond shaped eyes, and then a women with the same silvery eyes she has, and has the same features as her, from her heart shaped face, a slight cleft chin, the small height, the tanned skin, and the same beauty mark they both have on the bottom of their right eye._

_Other words popped into her head…_mom, _and_ dad._ Her parents? Yes, they're her parents, but she feels nothing for them besides hatred, her family is what caused her trust issues…her lack of self control frightens her—that's why she hates her parents._

_Silver shook her head at the girl, and sent her a frown. _"Nothing's wrong, Dev, you just worry too much."

_Devon smirked at Silver, and sent her a wink, which made Silver very uncomfortable. _

"Of course I worry too much, I love you silly— you're like the little sister I always wanted."_ Devon giggled at her friend. _"What? Did you think that every single person you met are horrible creatures, 'cause that's not the case here, Sil, you're just too cynical."

_Silver rolls her eyes at her friend. But Devon isn't affected by her distant attitude. _"Just remember, if you want someone to talk to…you'll always have me."

* * *

Silver's eyes snapped opened, and she was surprise that she didn't feel any pain what so ever, it's gone, like it disappeared. She sighed in relief. But it made her wonder how she got onto this comfortable…bed? When she clearly remembers passing out…but then she remembers a man caring her, a man with silvery white hair and cat like eyes.

She even forgot the dream she just had, so she wasn't surprised that she would forget something that happened a while ago.

Silver slowly got up, making sure that her injuries were indeed healed, and amazingly, they were, though she could feel a bit of bruising on her biggest wound—damn that beast.

Silver sat up on the bed, and looked around the dark room. There's no light what so ever, not even the moonlight can guide her out of the room, since— she figured— the windows were covered.

"You're awake."

Silver froze when she heard a man speak. She couldn't see where the man is, so turning her head from side-to-side she knew it would be useless to try to look for him.

"Yes," Silver whispered.

Suddenly, a bright light attacked her eyes, but she did not close them, she just waited patiently for her eyes to get used to the light. Once Silver's eyes did adjust, she had to look around the large room to find the man that spoke to her.

And she did find him, leaning against the wooden door. This man left Silver in shock. Not only because he's gorgeous, but because she felt like she met him, she doesn't know anything about him, but he just looks so familiar. His silvery white hair cascaded down his back, looking all soft and feathery like, his long eye lashes left Silver at awe, his lean and strong body is covered by black and white leather, his face has the perfect face structure that every man should have, but what left her so shocked- still were his green, cat-like eyes. Those eyes were the most familiar thing she saw on him.

The man slightly glared at Silver, but even if the glare is half-hearted, she couldn't help but be intimidated by him. She's never been afraid of anyone, not even her parents, so what makes this man any different.

She blushed and ducked her head, avoiding eye-contact with him. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

Silver didn't want to tell him that she was sorry for staring at him, so she avoiding the question.

"How did I get here?" She asked, and met his eyes once again, making sure her face was nothing but a blank look.

The silvered haired man cocked his head to the side. "You don't remember?" Silver shook her head. "I carried you here. You…were half-dead."

Silver's eyes widen in surprise. "I was?"

The tall man ignored her question and calmly walked his way toward her bed. Silver became nervous when he sat next to her, though she did well at hiding her emotion from the man, and kept his steady gaze.

"If you don't mind me prying, but…what happened?"

Silver flinched once she realized what he was talking about, and fought back tears when an image of Aiden attacked her mind, all bloody and broken. She blames herself for his death, if she should have just drowned then maybe he would be alive with his family. Silver sighed and looked away from the man's intimidating green eyes.

"Nothing happened." Though the man knew she was lying, he didn't question her. So he stayed quiet and looked away from her face.

But Silver looked back up at him. "Where am I?"

"We're in a Nibelheim Inn," the man responded back without a glance.

Again, that word, _Nibelheim_, sounded so familiar, she's certain she heard that word from somewhere before, but she couldn't recall from where. After all, all she could remember is her driving, and then passing out.

"Nibelheim," Silver whispers to herself, trying to figure out where she heard that word from. "What is it?"

The slivered haired man gave her a sideway glance, confused by her words, though he didn't show it. "It's a village."

Silver cocked her head to the side, which caused the man to sigh in frustration. "Are you not from here?" Silver shook her head. "Then from where?"

"I don't…know," Silver said once she realized that she doesn't even remember her hometown.

"Hmph…You must have hit your head."

That's one possibility, but Silver knows that that's not the case. She never hit her head; she never once felt any pain in her head…except when she was driving somewhere. Silver remembered that excruciating pain and wondered if that headache caused her memory loss.

Deciding to distract herself from those thoughts, Silver hesitantly tapped the man on his shoulder. The man titled his head to the side, signaling her that he's listening.

"I didn't catch your name."

The man smirked, still not looking her way. "Sephiroth."

That name…it hit her like a ton of bricks. That name is so familiar…actually; almost everything she came in contact looked and sounded familiar. She shouldn't be surprised anymore. Maybe she knows these people, she just forgotten about them. But then again, wouldn't have these people recognized as well?

She decided that it didn't matter, and smiled friendly at Sephiroth.

"My name's Silver, nice to meet you."

Sephiroth finally looked her way, and sent her a genuine smile. "The pleasures all mine…Silver."

The young girl chuckled, embarrassed with her own name. "Yeah, I don't like my name. You can call me Eve if you want…that's my middle name." Silver questioned how she knew that, but again, quickly dismissed those thoughts away from her mind. She'll have time to dwell on it later.

"Eve?" Sephiroth shook his head. "Eve does not fit you…I prefer Silver."

Silver blushed slightly and ducked her head. "Thanks," she muttered. "And thanks for helping me out. How were you able to help me?"

"I used all of my healing materia to save your life."

"Materia?"

"Yes," Sephiroth looked away from her once again, baffled by the small girl next to him. How could she not know where she's from, her origin, the village, and materia? Those are basic aspects of life that every living person should know. Though, he thought to himself, even he doesn't know his own hometown…his birthplace.

Sephiroth found himself sympathizing with the young girl besides him, after all, they both know nothing of their origin, she probably doesn't even know who her parents are…much like him. Though, he only knows the name of his mother…Jenova. At least he has that, her name, but Silver doesn't it.

"Do you remember anything?" Sephiroth asked out of the blue, which caused Silver to give him a weird sideways glance.

"No."

"Not even your friends and family?"

Images…flashed right before her eyes, all she could see were green eyes, and two other people, though she couldn't see their features, but she couldn't pin-point where she has seen them.

Silver ruefully shook her head. "No…nothing."

Sephiroth knows how she feels; frustration, emptiness, anger, and sadness. He experienced these feelings his whole life, and he never once met a person that shared those feelings with him, but now he has. And somehow, he thinks he connected with her because of it.

"We're the same…you and I," Sephiroth broke the peaceful silence once again, but this time he fully turned his body so that it would be facing her way, but he held no emotion on his face.

Silver cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How?"

"We know nothing of our pasts," Sephiroth shrugged nonchalantly. Silver gave him no response, but instead gave him a half of smile.

After a few heartbeats later, she finally responded. "But at least you didn't lose any of your memories." Though she still had a smile on her face, the words that came out of her mouth were full of venom.

"Perhaps, however…"

"But?"

The silver haired man shook his head and waved his hands in the air. "Never mind, just go back to sleep, you still need to rest."

"So do you," Silver retorted, raising an arched eyebrow.

The man smirked at Silver, amused by her caring attitude.

"I don't need to rest, I'm a SOLDIER. I was trained to keep myself awake for as long as I want."

Those words that came out of his mouth sparked some fire into her mind, especially anger. This man sitting in front of her is so smug it made her slightly scowl.

"Hmph…" She said as she got up from the bed, though Sephiroth tried to grab her wrist to pull her down on the bed, she quickly moved her arm away, and moved across the room to sit on a large and hard chair, wincing slightly when she felt a sharp sting in her abdomen.

"What are you doing?" Sephiroth glared at the young girl, causing her look away from his growing green eyes.

"I want to thank you for saving me…so I'm doing that by letting you sleep on the comfy bed. " She smiled innocently at him. "It's the least I can do."

Sephiroth frowned at the girl. "Like I said, I don't need to sleep, you, however, are too weak…you need to rest."

Silver scoffed and got up from the chair and went to turn off the lights and returned to her chair, lying back comfortably. "Sephiroth, you're only human, and humans need to rest too." She heard the man sigh in frustration, and she smirked. "Now go to sleep before you piss me off."

Sephiroth sighed once again, but this time in defeat, and lay on his large bed, sleeping in his uniform.

"Very well."

Silver yawned and closed her eyes. "Good night, Sephy."

The room was quiet, but it didn't bother Silver, she knew he isn't the type of people who would be comfortable with nick-names. But she didn't have time to dwell on it because her world turned into black.

It wasn't until Sephiroth heard her low and even breathing, did he respond back to her. "…good night."

* * *

"I don't get it, why do I have to take this girl off of your hands?" Reno scowled into his cell phone, and kicked the dirt under his foot. "You found her, you deal with her."

Sephiroth took a breath from the other line, clearly frustrated with the red-headed Turk.

"_I don't have time for this, Reno. I have to fix the Mako reactor in Nibelheim."_

"I know, I know. I just don't understand why you asked _me_ of all people. Don't you have Zack to do that stuff for ya?"

"_Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't let him, he's coming with me."_

Reno's eyes glared at nothing. "I don't get it, man. What's so great about this girl that you had to go all soft?"

"_I found her half-dead, Reno. I used all of my materia on her, and she's still hurt."_

Reno growled in frustration, and turned his body around to face his partner. He stalked up to him and shoved his phone onto his hands. Rude however, only raised an eyebrow at his behavior.

"It's Sephiroth."

Rude nodded, and placed the phone next to his ear and began talking to the man on the other line.

"Rude speaking…Yes, I understand…Reno?" Rude took a glance at his partner only seeing him seethe with anger. "He's not happy…Alright, we're on our way."

Rude shut the cell phone and tossed it back to Reno, who caught neatly in one hand, and glared at his partner.

"What the hell, Rude. You agreed to do a baby-sitting job?"

"Sephiroth asked us to."

Reno scowled. "So? Since when did we take orders from SOLDIER?"

"Since President Shinra asked us to." Rude answered nonchalantly, and walked calmly towards the helicopter, with Reno sulking at his side.

"Our job isn't to babysit a girl that was stupid enough to go into a forest full of monsters without any protection. It's not our problem…Yo, are you even listening?" Reno shouted when he saw his partner looking straight ahead with a bored expression on his face.

Reno sighed, and walked the rest of the way to the helicopter with a scowl on his face.

He got in his precious flying vehicle and placed his headphone on his head, moving the microphone so that it would be near his mouth. Rude got in after and did the same routine Reno did.

"I still can't believe you agreed to this," Reno mumbled, before turning the engine on and flipping switches to start his flight.

"I had no other choice."

"The hell you did!"

Rude sighed, and ignored his partner's ramblings, as they descended into the air, and made their way to Nibelheim.

* * *

Silver woke with a start, jumping at the pair of strong arms gently shaking her. Her eyes snapped opened, and relaxed once she saw two pair of green cat like eyes. She sighed in relief, and began rubbing her eyes, yawning in the process.

Sephiroth gave the tiniest hint of a smile as he saw her look so childish, and took a step away from her to give her room to stand up.

"You're leaving Nibelheim." He said to her.

Silver's eyes snapped up to the tall man, glaring at him as she slowly took her time to stand up. She frowned at him and crossed her arms across her chest, trying not to let another yawn escape from her mouth.

Silver shook her head. "No."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at her response, but made no action to change her mind. "And why not?"

Silver's mind went back to Aiden's body, and she remembered what he asked her to do. Tell his family what happen and tell them what Aiden told her. She has to do that, at least. No, she can't go, not now.

"I have some business to do."

"Business?" Sephiroth smiled, amused by the girl's fiery determination.

"I need to speak with someone."

"And who might that someone be?"

"Just…somebody," Silver scowled at him.

Sephiroth cocked his head to the side, a smirk placed on his lips, studying the girl before him. The girl is covered in dried blood, and she knew it, but she doesn't seem to care about her own health. He wonders what makes this girl so selfless, that she would give up her own health just to talk with some person. But he knew he wouldn't be able to get this girl do as he pleased, so he nodded.

"Very well, but I must warn you, Turks are going to come with you."

"Turks?" Silver heard of that word…somewhere. Again, she shouldn't be surprised anymore; everything she sees and hears is so damn familiar.

_Better get used it_, she thought to herself.

Sephiroth ignored her confused look, and turned his back to her, walking to his bed and grabbed some extra clothes he has for the girl. He turned around and walked back to her, gently handing her his clothes.

"What are these for?"

"You need to clean yourself, Silver, look at you."

Silver frowned at him, and did as he said. She inspected her arms, though her hands are clean…for the most part, there are still some blood and dirt on her hands, and even more blood and dirt on her arm, the same goes for the other. She touched her face, and she could feel something hard and crispy fall from her face, her hair is knotted with dried blood. Silver finally looked down at her abdomen. Her shirt is ripped right in the middle showing her new and large scars, with blood still drying on. Her shirt, she realized, is all covered in blood…hell, she might as well jumped into a pool full of blood.

Silver glared at her clothes, and stalked towards the bathroom, which she guess is right next to the exit. She roughly opened the door, and sighed in relief when she entered the small bathroom. She didn't want to look into the mirror, so instead she ignored it, and immediately started taking off her ruined clothes, and turned on the shower. She didn't wait for the water to heat up; instead she stepped in and watched the dry blood go down the drain.

Guilt started wrecking her body when she remembers Aiden, and started crying for him once again.

* * *

Sephiroth sighed, and walked out of the room. Closing the door behind, he heard heavy footsteps, and looked down the left side of the hallway, only to see Zack Fair rushing to him, with Cloud Strife calmly walking behind him, wearing his Shinra Guard uniform.

"How is she?" Zack asked once he reached Sephiroth.

The older man only glanced at Zack and began walking away from his room. "She's fine."

Zack and the younger boy kept pace with Sephiroth. "Well, when you walked in the Inn with a girl hanging on by a single string of life, I was just wondering if she didn't die."

Sephiroth frowned at Zack's use of sarcasm. "She isn't, but she's still injured. The Turks are coming to take her to Midgar."

Zack scrunched his nose, as if he smelled something revolting. "Turks? You mean Tseng, right?" When Sephiroth didn't respond, Zack's lips pulled down into a frown. "You trust that idiot Turk, and his bigger idiot partner?" Again Sephiroth didn't respond. "What exactly did he say?"

Sephiroth didn't answer him when all three went down a flight of stairs to the 1st floor of the Inn.

"Reno didn't want to do it," Sephiroth finally answered, as they made their way to a table in the middle of the room. A woman came to their table and asked what they wanted. Sephiroth said nothing; Zack told her to surprise him, and Cloud shook his head.

"Then why are they still coming?"

"Rude agreed to take her."

"Rude, huh," Zack ruffled his black hair, and let out a big sigh. "At least he's responsible enough."

"If I'm not mistaking, did not you not just call him a 'bigger idiot'?"

Zack waved his hand dismissively in the air. "I'm just biased. I don't like his partner, nothing but an arrogant bitch."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at Zack's fowl language, but said nothing.

"Besides, Rude is a much better guy then Reno would ever be. What do you think, Cloud?" Zack nudged his friend's body with his elbow, to get him into conversation.

Cloud shrugged, and adjusted his helmet so it would cover most of his eyes. "Turks are Turks."

Zack knew what his silent friend meant, "assholes will always be assholes," and he completely agrees with him. Though Tseng is also a…asshole, but Zack and Tseng are close, well, close as any Turk could be with anyone.

The woman came with Zack's breakfast, which was scrambled eggs with bacon, and chocolate milk. Zack smiled at the woman, and paid her an extra gil. He smiled as he took a sip of his drink.

"You know, Spiky," Cloud's blue eyes flashed angrily at the name. "You're right, Turks will always be Turks."

* * *

Reno's scowl never lit up, as he came out of his helicopter and ignored the stares from the villagers. He kept grumbling profanity from under his breath and waited for his partner. Once Rude came around the helicopter and stood next to Reno, the red-headed Turk took out his cell phone from his trouser's left pocket, and dialed Sephiroth's number.

"I still can't believe you're making me do this," Reno grumbled to his partner while waiting for the SOLDIER to pick up.

Rude made no attempt to respond to his partner's angry words. He just stood stone still and looked straight ahead.

"_Hello?"_

"We're here."

"_Alright…do you know where the Nibelheim Inn is located at?"_

Reno shook his head, even though Sephiroth couldn't see him. He nudged Rude with his elbow. Rude looked down at his friend, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Do you know where an Inn is in this place?"

Rude gave a firm nod and looked back up.

Reno sighed, and scowled once again. "I don't, but Rude here, does. Don't worry we're on our way."

"_There's been a slight change in plans."_

Reno growled and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hands. "Spit it out."

"_Silver wishes to speak with someone."_

"Silver, huh," Reno found that name odd for a girl, though he immediately dismissed those thoughts and began his ranting. "Yo, I'm no babysitter, if you want to take care of her, then so be it."

"_You already agreed you would take her."_

"I never agreed to anything, it was Rude. And besides, you said I have to take her to Midgar, and nothing more."

"_She won't leave until she talks to that person."_

Reno found himself cursing the biggest hero in the world. How dare he asked something so useless out of him…why him? Sephiroth could have asked Tseng. But like Rude said, President Shinra gave them orders to follow orders…so he has no other choice.

"Hmph…fine," Reno hung up and placed his phone back into his pocket. "Rude, come one, we're leaving."

Reno waited for his partner to take the lead, following him like a lost puppy. Reno scowled at how dead on that is. "Damn that girl to hell."

* * *

Silver walked out of the bathroom with her new and overly large clothes. The white T-shirt is so big that she had to tie the back of the shirt into a knot. And she thanked Sephiroth for finding womanly short shorts, and some white sneakers. She wonders where he found them, but just didn't think much of it, as she shook her wet hair, like a dog would do to get dry and walked out of the room.

Walking through the hallway, and down the stairs, she found herself smiling at homey feeling of this Inn. This is probably the first time she felt at peace since she has woken up from her…crash? She doesn't remember, but Silver decided then that she'll do whatever it takes to get her lost memories back—she'll be damn if she doesn't.

"Hey, Silver!"

The young girl jumped at the sudden loud voice, breaking the comfortable silence. Her silver like eyes immediately landed on a man with spiky black hair, and glowing blue eyes. Silver raised an eyebrow in question, but once she saw Sephiroth frowning at his companion she immediately walked towards their table.

Though she became hesitant when she saw the two males she did not know, but sat down next to Sephiroth anyway. She said a quick hello to Sephiroth, and he responded back with a nod.

"Sephiroth here told me your name, if you were wondering." Silver's eyes glanced at the young man in front of her. He chuckled and stuck his hand out, "The name's Zack Fair, nice to see you're still alive."

Silver glare at him half-heartily, but accepted his hand. She keeps her surprise in check when she hears his familiar name and familiar face.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

Her eyes then glided to the other man—no—boy, sitting next to Zack. She cocked her head to the side and lets go of Zack's hand. "Who are you?"

"Cloud Strife," he answers, without so much as a glance.

"Why don't you take your helmet off so I can see your face, Cloud?" The blonde man didn't take his helmet off, but instead glared at the girl with his mako like eyes.

Silver seems more amused than scared of Cloud's glare. Though what did scare her, was how much she wanted to see his face, how much she wanted to know if Cloud Strife is indeed Cloud Strife, which doesn't make any sense, since she doesn't even _know_ a Cloud Strife, but she couldn't help but wonder what was so familiar about those three. Why does her mind tick whenever she sees them?

Zack slapped Cloud's spine affectionately. "Don't let Cloud get to ya, Silver, he's naturally quiet."

Silver didn't smile. "I can tell."

"How's your wound?" Silver's eyes stopped staring at the defensive man, and glanced at her savior.

Silver shrugged. "It doesn't hurt much, it feels a little bruised…but other than that, it's perfectly fine."

"Hm," Sephiroth grunted. "Good, Reno and Rude on their way as we speak."

"Reno and Rude?" When Silver thinks of these names, the first thing that pops into her head is red hair, and sunglasses. She wonders why.

"I still don't understand why you had to call _Reno_, of all people," Zack scowled at the mention of the Turks, and crossed his arms across his chest.

"What's so wrong about him?"

Once Silver asked that question, the Inn's door burst opened. She twisted her body around to get a view of the newcomer, only to see two men walk in. One, a large dark skinned man, with sunglasses covering his eyes…bald and intimidating are what Silver thinks about him. The other man, a much smaller man, with flaming red hair, and a streak of red on each side of his cheek bones, his eyes—a light color of glowing green—seemed to be glaring at everything he saw.

"They're here," Sephiroth announced, standing up from his seat. He grabbed Silver's arm and dragged her up with him.

"Bye, Silver, good luck with that bastard," Zack loud enough for Sephiroth and Silver to hear, but quiet enough for Rude and Reno not to hear.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at his childish manners, and kept his gentle but firm grip on Silver.

"I'm not a kid, you know. I'm eighteen," Silver whined and tried to get out of Sephiroth's grip, but it was futile, so she pouted.

Sephiroth only response to her rant was a smirk.

* * *

Reno watched with amusement as the Great Sephiroth gently dragged a girl with him. It was comical to see the hard and smug SOLDIER to care for the stranger. If he wasn't so angry Reno would have probably laughed. But alas, he did not, for he was still seething about his new assignment.

_I could be back at Midgar, fighting those Genesis clones, but instead I have to take care of this chick…pathetic!_

Reno glared at the figures walking towards way, and glared at the young man sitting across the room.

Zack just waved, and said, "This is SOLDIER jurisdiction, slick," and the smirked.

Reno's glare only intensified when he heard his own words come out of the young SOLDIER's mouth.

"Reno," the Turk's attention went back to the older man and his smaller companion.

"So this is Silver, huh?" Reno eyed the girl up and down, not even trying to hide the fact that he's checking her out.

Reno thinks Silver is pretty cute…but just cute, not beautiful, not hot, not sexy, not even pretty, just…cute. Though the only two things he found sexy about her are her eyes and long legs. It's weird, for being so short. But that doesn't change the fact that he has to look after her.

Sephiroth glared at Reno when he saw Reno's eyes wonder over Silver's body for a little too long. "Reno."

Reno scoffed. "How old are you, kid?"

"Eighteen," Silver answered, glaring at the taller man in front of her.

Reno's eyebrows rose in surprise, and once again glared at Sephiroth. "The hell? She's eighteen dammit, she's old enough to take care of herself."

"I agree with him," Silver muttered and pulled her arm out of Sephiroth's grip.

The SOLDIER only shook his head at her response. "You have no other choice. Once you talk with whom you wish to speak with, you must go to Midgar and recover from your biggest wound."

Silver scowled. "Like I said, it's only bruising, it'll heal itself soon enough, and I don't need no damn _Turks_," Reno scowled, and Rude glared at the girl behind his glasses, "to take care of me."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at Silver, a silent challenge. "Once you speak with whom who wish to, where will you be going? Hm? You have no home," Silver winced with every word coming out of his mouth, "So I suggest that you do as I say, and you will be heading to Midgar with Reno and Rude."

"And what do I do there? I don't want to go…"

"We'll find you a home," The words that came out of Rude's mouth shocked everybody into silence. No one has heard Rude speak words of compassion, not even Reno. But even if his words were warm, his demeanor is still set into an emotionless mask.

Reno scoffed at his partner, and grabbed Silver's arm, pulling her to his side. "What he said. Once you talk to whoever you want to talk with, then we'll leave," Reno squeezed Silver's arm. "And you better make it quick."

Silver scowled up at Reno, and pulled her arm out of his grasp. "Sure, but I don't want you touching me."

"Ditto."

"Fine, we'll be leaving," Rude nodded at Sephiroth. "Good-bye."

Sephiroth nodded back at him but didn't utter a word, the same with both Reno and Silver. Reno glared, and followed Rude out the Inn, and Silver muttered out a, "See you later," before walking out of the Inn with Reno and Rude.

"Where to, short stuff?" Though Reno's words were light, his scowl was able to put at least some hostility in them.

Silver stopped in her tracks when she heard those words. Where _is_ she going to? She doesn't know her way around this place, nor does she have the slightest clue as to where Aiden's family lives. She could ask some villagers, but there aren't many out at early time of day. It's probably 10:00 a.m., so the probabilities of the villagers that are out knowing where the Walberg's residence is are very low.

Silver furrowed her thin eyebrows, and slowly closed the door behind her. She began walking— though she has no idea where she's going—with Reno and Rude walking besides her.

"I…don't know," she muttered out.

Reno heard her though, as clear as day, and sent her a deathly glare, but Silver paid him no attention and kept walking her way to nowhere.

* * *

**AN: I would like to thank **_Sumi X3 _**and **_TheGirlInTheBackRound _**for adding my story into their alert list. I really appreciate it. But...no one review...I'm very sad. So please, if you liked it, review, and if you didn't like it, give me constructive critism to help me improve my writing skills.**

**Oh, and by the way, the next chapter is where the action, and the actual plot starts, so please be paitent with me.**

**Oh, and one more thing, though this has nothing to do with my story...THEY MIGHT MAKE A REMAKE OF FINAL FANTASY VII FOR PS3! OMG! But the key would here is "might", though I really want that to happen. But they're really buisy. They have to finish making Final Fantasy XIII Verus and Final Fantasy XIII Agito, and Final Fantasy XIV...So, yeah. But wouldn't it be wonderful if they did make the remake...grrr! They better make the remake.**

**Anyway...Please review, I'm begging here!**

**I'll give you virtual high fives if you do...no? Okay.**


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Phew, this is a super long chapter, 31 pages! Can you believe that? Oh, and for the record, some of these lines come from Final Fantasy VII: The Last Order...yeah I watched it, and it was awesome. I added Reno and Rude more into this story, because well...I love them! So please read and review._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, and all of the characters, plot, and quotes belong to Square Enix...except for Silver, Aiden, Ariel, and Jack, they all belong to me._

_I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

A Monster is Born

_"We are...monsters. We have neither dreams nor honor."  
_-Genesis Rhapsodos

* * *

It's been three days and they still have no idea where to find this mystery person. Reno and Rude check into the Inn with Zack, that Shinra Guard, and with Silver, but no Sephiroth—though no one questions his absence. And each day, Silver would wake them up and ask them to help her find this person, which would take the whole day, today is no different. Waking up at 10:00 am sharp, and they still have no luck, so Reno, being the impatient man he is, started whining and cursing at Silver, though she paid no mind to Reno, which grated on his nerve. Usually his partner, and/or Tseng would shout at him to calm down, and since Reno has to get his anger out, he fights them…but this girl is ignoring him and his temper is about to burst. Sure, he could take his anger out on Rude, but the taller man would probably give him a good beating for being so childish.

But every time he asks Silver where they were going, all that she would say is, "Shut up," it's infuriating, to say the least, hearing those words coming out of a girl's mouth and not do anything about it. He doesn't fight those "damsel in distress" kinds of girls. Women, who are trained to kill, or to fight, are the ones he fights. So all he would do is scowl at the back of Silver's pretty head and silently curse at her.

Rude however, is the only one who's enjoying his partner's discomfort, though he makes sure is smirk is close to invincible, so Reno won't see it and get on his case. But he just can't help but see how much the young girl can cause such frustration towards Reno, never has he seen such hatred in Reno's eyes—never. Amusing as it is, he just can't help but be a little cautious of his partner. Rude knows the limit to Reno's anger…so keeping a close eye would probably the responsible thing to do.

Meanwhile, Silver's is glancing at every single house they pass by, every single garden and every single building they pass by and Silver's eyes are on it. She's curious, like a little kitten, but she's only staring at the building's because they look familiar, though, not extremely familiar like Sephiroth, Zack, Cloud, Reno, and Rude are to her…but she still felt like she's been here before. Her frustration is bottling inside, and she can feel her eyebrows tightening up, and her fist began to shake a little. Not knowing anything about her life is infuriating, she just wants to punch a hole through something. And it's helping her none with the red-headed man whining behind her.

"Yo, kid, my patience is running low," Reno growled. But Silver didn't looked behind her to look at him; she just kept walking around aimlessly. Rude had to contain a smile when he saw Reno make a face at Silver. Yes, that was very childish, but that's why Rude is glad Reno is his partner.

"She's only eighteen, you know?" Rude reminded Reno.

Reno, however, only dismissed his comment with a snort, "Could have fooled me."

"You're not that much older than her, are you?"

"No."

"How old are you, again?"

"Twenty," Reno cocked his head to the side, and glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eye.

"Hm," Rude grunted. "Then why do you call her a 'kid'."

"'Cause she's short, yo," Reno scoffed, disbelief colored his tone. Silver has to be the shortest eighteen year old he seen, probably the shortest girl he has seen—besides children of course.

Rude didn't reply to Reno instead he looked straight ahead like he has for the past hours. And even though Silver can hear every single word coming out of their mouths, she didn't respond to them, no matter how much it bothered her being called "short". She's not short…she's just not tall as others. Scowling at herself, Silver finally stopped in her tracks, realizing that walking around and hoping for a miracle won't cut it.

"Yo, watch it," Reno yelled before he crashed into Silver, stopping in time.

Silver merely turned around to face Reno and gave him a scowl of her own. "You watch it, jackass," Silver glared at the red-headed man, he glared at as well, though it didn't intimidate her as he thought it would. "Keep your mouth in check, Turk. Believe it or not, I also have a temper, and if you want to, you can see the hell I can bring into your life."

Reno merely scoffed at her threat, and roughly poked her chest. "Watch you say, kid, don't want to make any threats you ain't gonna make."

Silver's angry demeanor went to a blank mask, her scowl is gone, her glare is gone, and even her fists loosened up. She cocked her head to the side, and blankly stared up at Reno. "Be careful what you say…you just might regret it."

For some odd reason, Reno is scared of the girl, though he didn't show it. Her calm demeanor is much more deadly than her anger. He made a mental note not to piss this girl off, though, he'll still do it, but to a certain point. He doesn't want to face her wrath.

"Whatever you say, short-stuff; just tell us where we're going."

"I already said that I don't know."

Reno smirked, though his glare made his half smile seems less than smug. "That was what? Three days ago, I thought for sure you'll know where you were going….Guess you're just an idiot."

Silver narrowed her eyes at the Turk. "I've never been here before, so excuse me for not knowing my way around."

Reno eyes widen in surprise and let out a loud chuckle, nudging his partner with elbow to get him to laugh as well, but Rude only looked down at the girl, his eyes filled with concern, and thanks himself for wearing sunglasses all the damn time. "Then…how did you find your way here?" Silver shrugged but said nothing else. "How do you know this person you want to speak with if don't know anybody here?" Rude asked.

Reno's eye took notice of Silver's sudden gloomy face, but she quickly composed herself before Reno could really decipher her sadness. "I owe a friend."

"You owe a friend," Reno repeated her answer slowly, implying to her to give a more elaborated answer. Silver suddenly scowled up at the red-head, and Reno thought that maybe this girl might be bi-polar. If she is, then that'll explain her sudden mood changes, and her fiery attitude.

"It's none of your business, Ginger."

Reno raised an eyebrow, insulted by the name, and scowled at his partner when he heard him snort. Reno was never particularly fond of that name—in fact, he hated it. His father would always put him down about his hair, saying things like "Red hair is feminine," or, "Real men aren't gingers." So what if he got his hair color from his mom? So what if he got most of his looks from a woman he never knew? His dad always made him feel less than a man, and hated him for that. That's why he became a Turk in the first place, to get away from his father and show him that he's better than his father thinks. Reno hasn't seen his father in over four years, so, hearing that name come out of the girl's mouth ignited some fire in him, as he dangerously narrowed his eyes.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do, he just wanted to see some kind of fear in Silver, get a reaction out of her…but he saw nothing. This girl must be made out of stone or something, because all he saw in her eyes was nothing—nothing at all, like she can't even feel anything. Usually his glares would make some fear him, and others might challenge him, and maybe some—like Zack—would only laugh at his face. Any of those would have been good, even if the idea of someone mocking him irritated him, but not as much as seeing absolutely nothing on her face.

Even Rude would have reacted in some way; maybe a little glare of his own can be seen through his shades. It scared him, how much he isn't able to read the small girl in front of him. He's able to read everybody else easily, as if he was reading a book of their emotions, even if it's just one glance, Reno would be able to decipher anybody's feelings—even Rude's…but not this girl.

"What do you suggest we do then, short-stuff?" Reno quietly asked Silver. Out of the corner of his eye, Reno can see Rude slightly frown at him…for some reason, but he ignored him and his attention went back to Silver.

"I don't know…maybe we should ask some people around?"

Reno scoffed. "No shit, Sherlock. We could have done that hours, hell even days ago."

Silver gave him a funny look, but otherwise, ignored him. She then proceeded to turn her back towards his front and began walking towards an elderly woman, walking her ways towards a shop.

"Feisty, isn't she?" Reno couldn't be sure, but he could practically feel the amusement radiating off of Rude…and he's not even looking at him.

"Hmph," Reno tilted his head to the side, and watched the way Silver smiled at the woman, finally seeing softness in her eyes, made him feel a little more relaxed. Even if her eyes are less guarded then usual is enough for Reno to know that she at least has a heart, and that's she's not completely emotionless. Her big, and soft smile, even made his scowl want to twitch up. Dammit, Reno thinks to himself, her smiles are contagious.

But even as he fought his smile down, he couldn't help but think how cute Silver looks when she smiles. Her smile reminds him of a rose; if people hold them too hard, the thorns will make them bleed, but if people hold them gently, then the thorns won't hurt, and people are able to see the beauty the roses hold…exactly like Silver.

So instead of smiling, he let his lips tuck up into a smirk, as usual, and watch with interest as the change of emotions on Silver's face. First it was friendly, then it was amused, then confusion, then slight irritation—which Reno found funny—and then it was relief. And Reno could tell by the way Silver's lips moved that she said a "Thank you" to the woman, before running her way back to the Turks.

"I'm guessing you hit the jackpot," Reno said once Silver stopped in front of them, smiling slightly. Even if her smile is genuine, Reno couldn't help but notice the tension in her eyes. _Hah_, he thinks to himself,_ I can finally read you!_ He never felt more proud of himself in his life, and decided that he shouldn't be angry anymore. So instead his glare turned into a cocked eyebrow, and his smirk held some smugness. "Where to, Silver?"

Hearing her name come out of the rude man, surprised Silver, but she kept it in check as she began walking the way the lady said Aiden's house would be at. Luckily for them, that elderly lady is the step-mother of Aiden's wife, whose name happens to Ariel. She's glad that she'll be able to keep Aiden's promise, but at the same time, she's scared of how Ariel might react to his death. Would she hate her, blame Silver for his death, or would she only cry and say nothing at all? And what about their kid, Jack, how is he going to react when he learns that his father died protecting her?

Silver felt like slapping herself for being so irresponsible. If she didn't jump onto the beast's neck then maybe he would still be alive, maybe if she just died, he could be here, making other people happy. Silver force the tears that threaten to fall, in her eyes. She won't show the Turks how weak she is—she can't. It's instinct, being protective of her emotions, and sharing them with others is a sign of failure—to her, that is.

"Which way?" Rude asked when they stopped at a two-way trial. They could go on the left trail, or they can go on the right trial. Silver doesn't remember the old lady saying anything about a two-way street, and she mentally cursed the old woman, though half-heartily.

"We go left," Reno pointed a finger on the left side, and Silver made a sound at the back of her throat. "What?"

"I doubt we're supposed to go there."

Reno raised an eyebrow at her opinion, but smirked and waved his arm at the trails. "Then, oh my smart lady, where do you suggest we go? I mean, you _were_ the one who asked for directions."

Silver glowered at the Turk, and eyed his partner, silently asking for help. Rude only shrugged his stiff shoulders. "You should listen to him, he's usually right."

Silver's eyes glared at the red-headed Turk even further, when Reno sent her a smug smile. "If you're wonderin' how I know these kinds of things, you just gotta pay attention to your surroundings," Reno tapped the corner of his right eye. "Being observant has its perks, don't cha think?"

"Hmph," Silver grunted and silently began walking the way Reno said—albeit, ruefully, but obeyed anyhow. Being stubborn about this sort of thing won't do any good; it'll just cause her to be lost in a large village. A sudden thought sparked in her mind, as she casually stole at glance at Rude over her shoulder. "Why are you still with me?"

Though Silver couldn't see it, Rude's eyes washed in confusion. "I got orders to keep you company."

"Much to my dismay," Reno added bitterly.

Silver paid Reno no mind, as she slowed her pace so that Rude would be walking next to her. "But if you wanted to, you could have leaved…I wouldn't mind."

Though Rude fought to keep his posture, he couldn't help the furrowing of his eyebrows come together in confusion and in concern. "I do as what I was ordered to do, no matter what, and I never back down."

Silver shyly smiled up at Rude, before looking ahead at the trail, keeping her pace so that it'll match Rude. And Reno watched from a few steps behind, how much they connected. He could even see a small twitch on Rude's chin. He felt something creep its way to Reno's stomach and heart, almost a feeling of anger and longing. He couldn't be sure what it was, but he didn't like, and it's all direct towards Rude.

At times, Reno wishes he could as compassionate as Rude, and like Tseng, and he tries, but he could never be nice to anybody. So seeing Silver smile at Rude made Reno want to scowl at his partner, but he resisted the urge, and instead damned this funny feeling he's feeling inside. Even as the two quietly talked amongst themselves, he couldn't hold back a bit of rage twirling inside him. He has no idea why he's acting this way, and wishes it would just stop.

"Do you know which house this person lives," Reno asked, not only to distract this feeling in him, but to also make sure that Silver hasn't mistaken the house passing by as stranger's houses.

"Yeah, the lady was pretty specific about the house." Reno nodded, and proceeded to ignore the two people in front of him.

And while Silver made friendly conversation with Rude, she couldn't help but be nervous about meeting Ariel and her child. Silver's sure that things aren't going to work out right. Maybe it's just her cynical side that is making her think these negative thoughts. Either way, she's too nervous for being it okay. And when she suddenly sees the house that the lady describes right beside her, she couldn't help but let out a tiny squeak.

"This is it?" Rude asked when he saw the tiny girl stopped in front of the brown and white house. Silver simply nodded, and swallowed loudly before she hesitantly took a step closer to the house.

Though she's nervous, she couldn't help but feel safe around this house. It just has this homey feeling, like the Inn had, but more pronounced. The roof is made out of brown wood with a chimney at the top, the rest of it is all white, even the window frames, and door were white. Though the pots of flower resting on the window frames made it seem less boring, the same goes for the two narrow gardens on each side of the sidewalk leading them to the door.

"Remember, the sooner you to talk to this person the sooner we can get out of here," Reno reminded her, though he said it gently, sensing her quiet fear.

Silver nodded, not looking at Reno, and knocked on the hard wood. She braced herself when the door swung open.

Silver held her breath as she watched a pretty woman give them a friendly and welcoming smile. The woman, has soft looking light brown hair, grey doe-like eyes, and a petite frame—though she's taller than Silver. She probably stands at 5'4.

"Hello," she said warmly. "May I help you with something?"

Silver let the breath she was holding, out, and another one in before answering. "Uh, yeah, I'm looking for Ariel Walberg?"

The woman grinned and stuck her hand out for Silver to take. "That's me." Silver shyly smiled at her and gently shook her hand. "What can I help you with, sweetie?" Ariel rolled her eyes at herself, before widening her door. "Where are my manners, come inside, I was just making some of my delicious meatloaf. Hope you guys are starving."

"Starved," Reno replied in a smart Alec tone, and took a step inside.

Silver scowled at the Turk, and apologized for his rudeness, before timidly taking a step inside the warm house. Rude had to duck his to he could step inside, and gave Ariel a tiny smile.

"I'm Silver, if you were wondering," Silver pointed at the tall dark-skinned man. "That's Rude, and that one," Silver pointed at Reno. "His name is Reno."

Ariel closed the door behind her, and smiled at each of them, before waving her hand at them so they could follow her into her small kitchen. "Sit, please."

They did as she said, and each took a seat on the large wooden chairs, each of them resting their hands on the round table. Rude and Reno each sat at either side of Silver, though Reno was way too close for Silver's comfort but she didn't say anything about it.

"I'm sorry, let me just serve some food for ya. My son is still sleeping, and by the time he'll wake up, he's going to be starving, so sorry for the little food I'm giving you."

"No problem," Silver's eyes glanced at Reno out of the corner of her, surprise by his soft tone. She can completely see Reno's shield off, his face is soft, his green eyes look soft, even his smile looks soft—everything about him looks so warm. She couldn't help but feel a little flutter in her stomach when she saw him, and scowled at herself for feeling this, and tore her eyes away from the red-head.

Silver smiled at Ariel when she gave each of them their plates of meatloaf. Her mouth started watering at the smell, and waited patiently for Ariel to give her the fork. Once she got it, Silver immediately stabbed the fork in the meatloaf and quickly began eating. Reno raised an eyebrow in surprise, but understood her hunger as he took a bite of the delicious food.

"Guess you guys _were_ serious about being starved," Ariel giggled at the sight of the three hurriedly eating her food, even the tall burly man let his demeanor go from serious to desperate. "So, Silver, what is it that you want to see me?" The older woman asked when she saw Silver finishing off her food.

The young girl swallowed her food before answering. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach burning in her, and she cleared her throat, making sure that lump in her throat would disappear. "It's…um, it's about…Aiden."

Ariel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as she took a seat across from Silver, resting her chin on her knitted hands. "What about him?"

Silver is surprised by the woman's uncaring attitude toward her husband. He never came back, so isn't she worried. "You do know him…right?"

"Of course, he's my husband."

"He hasn't been here, and you don't seem to care?"

Ariel snorted at Silver's upcoming attitude. "No need to get feisty with me, Silver. Of course I care about my husband, why else would I marry him?"

"Well you don't seem to care."

The sentence that came out of Silver's mouth caused Ariel to glare at the smaller girl. "Of course I do! The only reason I don't seem concern is because he always disappears into the woods, that's his job, getting meat for the village, and that can take days, maybe weeks for him to come back home with enough food!"

Both Rude and Reno took a peek at Silver, to see her reaction. But they both relaxed once they saw Silver's fist relaxing, and saw that her scowl is gone.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know."

"Hmph," Ariel's gaze softens at Silver's quiet tone, and smiled at her, forgiving her for her accusation. But then she frowned and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when a sudden though hit her. "How do you know Aiden? I've never seen you before."

Silver winced once she realized that now's the time to tell Ariel about her husband's death. She can feel the prickling of the tears coming out, and lump in her throat made her pause. Silver blink furiously, making sure she won't show any kind of emotion, and cleared her throat before continuing.

"That's why I came here. You see…Aiden's," Silver took a deep breath, feeling that lump in her throat constricting the words from coming out. "Aiden's dead."

Reno's breathing stopped all together. Hearing those things coming out of Silver's innocent mouth gave him a moment of shock, and stared wide-eyed at her, burning holes at the side of her head. Rude, however, kept his cool, though that didn't stop from him stealing a glance at Silver. While Silver watched the reaction of Ariel, fearing the worst, but what she saw on her face was the last thing Silver expected. Ariel's face is completely blank, there's nothing there at all, though her eyes are widen, but Silver doesn't see anything in them.

"Ariel," Silver called out timidly, worrying at the paleness of Ariel's face. "Ariel…are you okay?"

The brown-haired woman suddenly started blinking, like she was awakening from a dream, though her face is still emotionless. "How?" Silver winced at the echo like tone in her voice.

"I-I don't know how to say it…He died protecting me." Silver ducked her head down, ashamed at looking Aiden's caring wife. "He found me dying in a pond and saved me, and then tried taking me to the village…but a beast popped out of nowhere and it started attacking us. I did something idiotic and irresponsible and Aiden died because of it, and then I killed it while Aiden was dying." Silver let a tearless sob out. "I'm so sorry, Ariel, really. I didn't mean for that to happen, please forg—"

"It's okay."

The benevolent voice interrupted Silver's pleading, as she raised her glassy eyes up at Ariel, and immediately wishes she hasn't when she sees Ariel's dead eyes and thin-set lips. But she couldn't but feel wrong for being forgiven to easily, even if the way Ariel said it was sincere, she just wanted some justice—revenge against Silver would be good for her, Silver thinks to herself. Anger, began sparking in her

Silver shook her head, clenching her fist and slamming them on the table. "No! It's not okay!" Reno tried calming her down by gently grabbing her shoulders, but Silver shrugged him off and stood up, leaning over the table with her fist still on it. "You should say that you hate me, that you want me dead. Say that you hate me!" Ariel didn't say anything. "I caused your husband's death—I did it! Slap me, punch me, hurt me—do anything…please." Silver whispered, forcing her tears from coming out.

The older woman simply gave her a sad smile and cocked her head to the side. "You want to be blamed, is that it?"

Silver nodded. "I'm sorry…but it's all my fault."

Ariel nodded and stood up; locking her pale hands and letting them hang down in front of her abdomen. "Alright…Silver," the young girl locked eyes with the older one, letting her know that she'll take whatever Ariel throws at her. "I hate you, you're useless…you're a murder. You ruined my life…You ruined my son's life. How am I supposed to tell him that his father died protecting a worthless twit like you…tell me how? I don't want anything to do with you, I wish you would just disappear…that'll make the world such a better place…with you being dead. I hope you rot in hell." Though every single word that came out of Ariel's mouth impacted Silver in such ways, she knew that Ariel doesn't mean them. She knows by the woman's dead like tone, and her motherly look that those words were just lies…but it doesn't mean that they don't hurt.

"That's what you wanted, right, being blamed? Well, you got it, doesn't feel too good, huh?" Silver's answer is a single tear coming out of her beautiful eyes. "I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back soon."

Silver began wiping off the tears off of her face, but found it useless when she hears a door slam shut and then sobs of anguish came after. A soft sob escaped Silver's, and more tears came flowing out of her eyes. So she closed her eyes, and slowly sat back down, her hands playing with each other, and her head ducked down, making sure that those Turks don't see her sadness, though she knows it's useless, she just doesn't want her dignity to die away.

Cursing under his breath, Reno tried to find a way to comfort the small girl, but every time he tried to make a move, he would always stop himself from doing so, and scowls when he sees Rude's large hand gently rubbing Silver's back in a comforting way. Cursing under his breath once again, Reno began rubbing the back of his neck, feeling very awkward around the crying girl.

"Silver….do you want to go now…since you're," Reno stopped mid sentence and took deep breath before continuing, "Since you told her what you wanted to say?"

"No…That wasn't what I was supposed to tell her. It was something else." Reno couldn't see Silver's face hiding behind her thick black hair, but he could hear the sadness in her voice, and it made his heart give a _thump_, a very painful thump.

He begins rubbing his heart, frowning, and wondered why it hurts seeing the girl before him looking so sad. Deciding to distract himself from the pain, he gently placed his hand on Silver's shoulder, shaking her slightly to get her attention. She didn't respond to him, but Reno saw her tilt her head slightly, indicating that she's listening to him.

"Do you wanna call Sephiroth…tell him what happen?" Though Reno knows that the two just met, he couldn't help but feel like they had some kind of connection, especially when he saw the way Sephiroth gently dragged her, and scolded her like a parent would do to their children. As amusing as it is seeing the best SOLDIER in all of Gaia being gentle with a small and fiery girl, he knew that Sephiroth cared for the girl. "Do you?" Reno asked again, when Silver didn't say anything.

Instead of responding to him, Silver simply shook her head, sniffling and placing her hair behind her ears. And Reno could now see the tears flowing out of one side of her face, though her eyes are empty…like they were dead.

"You sure?"

Silver slowly raised her head, turning her head so she could fully make eye contact with the green-eyed man. She smiles slightly, though that didn't hide the emptiness in her, Reno noticed.

"Yeah, positive…thanks though, for caring, I mean."

"Don't mention it."

And as Rude watch the two make connection, he couldn't help but smirk a little at his friend's walls being broken down by this single girl. That's…difficult to do, Rude muses. He wasn't able to see the warm side of Reno since they started working with each other until recently. So seeing his best friend smiling with warmth is a big relief, to say the least.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Reno asked, jerking his head toward the wall besides them, indicating Ariel's crying.

Silver nodded. "Yes…I think that she just has to let go of all of that…anguish."

"What about you?" Reno nudged the girl with his elbow, cocking his head to the side.

"I'm fine."

"Bullshit."

Silver narrowed her eyes at Reno, and poked him on the chest, causing him to flinch and rub where she poked. "Believe what you want…but I'm fine, I was just ashamed that I caused that man's death, nothing more."

"Whatever you say, short-stuff."

Silver scowled at him, her resentment that was gone is now back, though that scowl turned into a little "o" at the small, sleepy voice, knocking on a nearby door. "Mom? You okay in there?"

"This will not end well," Rude mumbled, turning his head to that it will face at the exit of the kitchen.

Silver nodded, agreeing with him, and got up off of from the chair, and slowly walked her way out of the small kitchen, the Turks following right behind her.

"Mom? Why are you crying? You're scaring me." The boy—Jack started pounding on the door.

Turning a left, Silver is met with a narrow and long hallway, and in the middle of it, on the left side, is a small boy, about her size, if not, taller, pounding both of his fist against a door. "Mom! Open the door."

"Kid, leave your mom be," Silver punched Reno in the gut, making him "oof" and rub it, scowling down at the girl. "The hell was that for, yo."

"You idiot, don't you see that he's scared, his mom is crying her lungs out. Just stay quiet, will you," Silver hissed between her teeth.

"Who are you people?"

Silver's attention snapped back to the young boy. Slowly she walked closer to her, holding up her hand, indicating to the Turks to stop in their tracks. When Silver was only a few steps away, she found herself being toward over the boy, and curses herself for being so short. But his tall figure isn't the only thing that surprised her, it's the way he looks. He's the spitting image of Aiden—minus the eyes—Silver could even see a bit of hair growing on his chin.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, menace in his voice.

"I'm Silver," she answered softly.

"Why are you here?"

"I came here to talk to your mom…and you."

"About what?" Silver couldn't help but flinch at his hostility. She's not scared—not at all—just ashamed of looking at him in the eye. He knows that Silver made his mother cried, and for that, he hates her.

"About your father."

Jack crossed him across his chest, and tilted his blonde head near the door. "Mom, come out…please." She didn't, and that caused Jack to sigh out sadly, and uncross his arms. "Just tell me what happened to my dad…I can take it."

Silver shook her head. "I don't think you can."

Jack scowled down at the small girl, eyes narrowing. "What do you know about me? Nothing, so don't say that I can't handle it, because I can. I'm stronger than my mom."

"Your dad's dead."

There she said, blunt and simple, and the blank look on her face made that sentence come out as harsh, and uncaring. Silver is angry at herself, for saying it like that, seeing that pain-struck look on the kid's face made her want to hug him, and punch herself, though she composed herself, and braced herself for what he had to say to her.

Jack raised his hand, and Silver closed her eyes, waiting for that hand to strike her face. "Get out."

Silver opened her eyes again, seeing Jack point behind her—towards the door—his face is cover with tears, and chest if huffing, his chin is twitching…he's so angry….so, so angry. Silver tried to grab his chin, to tell him what his father said, but he her pushed roughly away, and pointed towards the door again. "GET OUT!" That yell only made Ariel's cries more painful to hear. But Silver nodded, ducking her head down, and began walking back to the Turks.

Reno, glaring at the young boy, rested his hand on Silver's shoulder once she stood next to him and didn't take it off when all three walked to the door. Silver waited until Rude and Reno walked out, before she began, but stopped herself from doing so. She held onto the door, her back facing Jack's, and decided it was now or never to tell him.

Looking over her shoulder, Silver watched Jack glare at her from afar, his left hand resting against the wall. Silver frowned at the boy, and allowed a single tear to come down her face, showing him that it pained her to tell him, and began opening her mouth.

"Before you father died, he told me something—he _promised_ me to tell you and your mother this, and I'll be damned if I don't. He said that'll he'll always be with you, that you shouldn't be sad, you shouldn't be worried…his presence will always be here," Silver pointed to her heart, "protecting you, and making you happy." Jack simply tore his eyes away from Silver, and didn't respond. "Just remember that."

Silver gave him a firm nod before walking out, and closing the door behind her.

_There Aiden, I kept my promise. And now your son hates me, and your wife is in terrible grief…hope you're happy_, Silver thinks to herself, scowling, and crossing her arms, walking past the two worried Turks.

* * *

It's been hours— six Hours. It's been six hours since Reno and Rude has heard Silver spoke. Not even a small sigh can be heard out of her, and though they would never admit it, they're worried about her. And Reno is dying to get out of the insipid village, but bites his tongue from saying so. So instead of whining, he and his partner just silently walked behind the sad girl—they didn't know where she was going, and neither did she, but they think that she deserves some time to think—to grief openly.

Reno decided then that he isn't a cold-hearted man, he just proved to himself that he does feel sympathy…That's a nice feeling, feeling emotion, Reno decided. He couldn't be sure when was the last time he ever sympathized with anybody, of course he helped Shinra save lives…but he also helped kill others, and that usually took bits of his humanity away from Reno.

He's pretty sure that he has assassinated more people than Rude has. Though Reno tries to tell himself that he only killed those people because he was told to do it, but he knew that he would be lying to himself. His father, Gordon Maki, always hated his only son—Reno is sure of that. The constant verbal, emotional, and even physical abuse caused Reno to bury so much hatred in him, that he releases it during fights or kills. Is he ashamed…yes. Is he sorry…no. He can't take back what he did, so he shouldn't be dwelling on things of the past…it's not worth his time.

"You can go if you want."

The sudden voice caused Reno to blink a few times, and shook his head a little, clearing his mind of all thoughts, and stared at the back of Silver's head.

If Reno didn't have such good hearing, he would have thought that no one had said anything. But he did hear those soft words come out of Silver's lips, even if she's walking like she has before, acting like she never said anything.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you want to leave this place Reno…go…if you want," Silver didn't stop walking, nor did she raise her voice any further.

Reno shook his head, and sent Rude a sideways glance, in which he responded with a, "Your call."

Sighing, Reno began ruffling his short red-hair. "Fine, Silver." The young girl stopped, and turned half-way around, so that one side of her face can be seen. "We'll leave, but you have to come with us, yo." Silver shook her head, making Reno scowl. "Too bad it isn't your decision to make."

Silver scowled, but she still wouldn't look their way. "The hell it is. What are you going to do? Drag me to Midgar?"

"Yes," Reno smirked at Silver's reaction. She finally whipped her head to that she would look at Reno, albeit glaring at him, but at least he could see some kind of emotion in her.

"No."

"What?"

"I won't go, you can't make me…I can't leave," Silver shook her head. "Not now…please."

"Reno," the red-headed Turk glanced at his taller partner. "Leave her be, if she doesn't want to go, then don't force her."

Reno scowled at his partner, disbelief written across his face. "What's up with that, yo? Weren't you the one that insisted that we dump this chick into Midgar? And we came all the way here, stay here for days, we followed this girl around this damn village, then watched this girl suffer, and once again walk around the village for hours like a couple of idiots, for what?" Reno shook his head. "I ain't gonna go home empty handed— I didn't come here for nothing, dammit." Reno then proceeded to turn his head towards Silver and walked towards her, roughly grabbing her arms and dragging her back to the trail that would lead them to the town. "You're coming with us whether you like it or not, yo."

"Let go of me!"

Reno didn't listen to her please, and Rude did nothing to stop him, he just stayed quiet, walking behind them, shaking his head at his partner.

"Stop squirming, will ya? I'm trying to kidnap you."

Silver tried punching on the chest, but to no avail. "All the more reason to squirm."

Silver, once again tried punching Reno's chest, and this time, the punch hit Reno square on the chest, making him wheeze, and stop momentarily. Silver tore her arm off of Reno's grip and began running, but before she could even take three strides, she felt Reno's surprisingly strong arms wrap themselves around Silver's waist and pulled her into his chest.

"Reno, let go!"

But he didn't. He lifted Silver up and he moved around so that he would continue on the right trail, afraid of getting lost in the darkening sky. Reno scowled once he realized that pushing her is much more difficult than pulling her.

"Don't make this difficult, Silver!"

"Then let go of me!"

"No."

Suddenly, they all stopped in their tracks once they hear not one, but _several _ear-splitting shrieks. Their heads shot up to the sky when they saw what they believe is an orangey light, but no, it's not, its f_ire_. More cries came after a loud explosion, and Silver woke up from her momentarily distraction. Feeling the loosening in Reno's arm, she knew what she had to do. Silver pulled her leg forward and snapped it back so that it'll hit Reno straight on the groin, and ran like there was no tomorrow.

"Son of a bitch! That stupid little twit! My fucking bal—" Reno stopped mid shout, and instead resorted himself to drop down into a fetal position and whimper in pain.

Rude stopped besides him, looking at Silver's body disappearing into the darkness. "Hmph…serves you right."

"Oh Goddess, no man deserves this kind of pain—no one."

Glad that's its dark, Rude smirked. Even though he can feel a bit of fear creep its way inside of him as he hears those sounds of agony. They're probably an hour away from the town and he can hear those shouts, those explosions, and those tears of pain.

"What do you suggest we do?" Rude asked once Reno stood up, albeit, wincing and grabbing onto his groin, but took the pain anyway.

"Let's just go back."

Rude's head snapped down to look at Reno sharply in the eye. "What about those people, we can't just leave them there."

Reno frowned and looked up at the flames licking the sky above them. Rude watches as Reno's eyes soften and he can finally see some worry in them, but the red-head shook his head and looked back up at Rude, scowling from the pain he feels between his legs.

"Don't worry, the SOLDIERs are there."

"What if they're not?"

Reno dismissively waved his hand in the air. "Don't worry about it, yo, they haven't left. I bet Sephiroth finally left that Shinra Manor, hearin' those screams outside."

Rude raised an eyebrow in question. "You sure?"

"Positive."

"What about Silver?"

Upon hearing that name, Reno's eyes burned with hatred and his scowl became more profound. "Screw her. Let's just leave that little twit here, I don't care. Let's just go back to the helicopter."

"Where'd you park it?"

Reno pointed to the trail left of them. "Probably somewhere there, I remember seeing this place when we landed…but people were actually walkin' around."

"You sure?"

"Yo, you question' my memory?"

Rude cocked his head to the side. "Not at all."

"Then let's go."

And so they did, walking side-by-side, like partners normally do, except Reno is scowling and hissing every time he takes a step, and cursing the young girl in his mind. Hopefully, he thinks to himself, he never gets to see that girl ever again, but even as he thinks this, Silver's face is stuck in his thoughts.

* * *

Silver feels like she's been running for hours by the time she made it to the village's central, and wishes she hasn't when she sees the chaos before her. Everything—everything is on fire, the buildings are on fire, the trees, the ground, even the people running by her are on fire, screaming in agony. She couldn't believe what's happening right before her eyes, she couldn't even feel the hard ragged gasping coming out of her burning lungs, and she could only feel the pain constricting her heart watching the village burn into ashes.

"Who would do this?" She whispers to herself.

A loud whimper escaped her mouth once her eyes lay upon the dead, bloody bodies on the ground. So much blood…so much death. Elders, adults, young adults, teenagers, even children and babies were lying dead on the ground. Silver slapped her hand over her mouth, to keep her from screaming. So, so much blood. Snapping her eyes away from the bodies, Silver decided to look for any people who would need help…but there isn't any, they're all dead.

Panicking, Silver began running again, and this time, away from the bodies, from those lifeless corpses. Even her strong legs were about to cave in on her as the overwhelming sensation kept bringing her down. There are so many who are close to death, but she sees more who are dead. Silver could feel bile of puke come its way out of Silver's mouth, but she held it in, and kept jogging.

"Silver!" The black-haired girl stopped in her tracks and looked around the blazing field for the person who called her name. "Silver, over here."

"Zack." Silver lets out a sigh of relief once she spots Zack coming after her.

Zack expression made Silver take two steps back. His face…it's so…angry—so full of hatred. Silver swallowed the scream that threaten to come back and hugged Zack around the waist, afraid, and hurt. "Zack…what happened?"

Zack hugged her back protectively, and looked around for Cloud, and the tour guide he got to know. "I can't," Sephiroth's face attacked his mind, and Zack cursed him. "Sephiroth, Silver—he did this, he did it!"

Those words sent waves of shock throughout Silver's body that she literally jumped out of his arms. Knowing him for three days made Silver think of him as a friend, he's easy to get along with—unlike a certain blue-eyed silent boy—and can believe any word that comes out of his mouth…But this, this is just too much for her to take. Sure, she only knew Sephiroth for less than a day, and never saw him after those few minutes of meeting each other, but he didn't look like that kind of person that would just randomly attack, and ablaze a whole village, murdering people in the process.

"That's not true," Silver shook her head, hoping that his words were lies. But he could tell by look of his face, by the set of his scowl, by the set of his glare, and by the set of his posture, that what he said is true.

"That bastard…I'm going to kill him."

"Where's Cloud?" Silver asked, distracting her from his words and from the queasy feeling in her stomach.

Zack's eyes sadden, and look around for the young boy. "I..don't know."

"Oh, no," Silver couldn't help but feel worried for the young boy, though they never really got along, she does care for him. Her fear worsens when all she sees in Zack's eyes is despair, there's nothing in them but that, and she's more scared of that than his anger. It looks like he has given up. "Don't worry," Silver spoke, hoping to revive his last string of hope. "I'll look for him. After all, he's a tough kid, right?"

Zack didn't smile, but at least the sad stricken look is gone, though the fire around them and the dead bodies is enough to make both of them feel helpless.

"I'll go with you," Silver nodded and began walking side-by-side with Zack. "We should also look for survivors too."

"There isn't any," Silver said to herself, making sure that her voice is quiet so that Zack wouldn't hear.

She isn't as optimistic as Zack is, and therefore, is much more realistic. She knows, by the hundreds of lifeless bodies lying on the ground, that there might a huge chance that there won't be any survivors…hopefully there is, but Silver is doubtful.

Silver suddenly broke into a run once she realized that the possibility of Cloud being dead is high.

_What about…_

Silver suddenly fell onto her knees, tired of running, and tired of worrying as new faces popped into her mind.

"Silver?" She felt Zack's large hand grabbed her arm, but she quickly pulled away. "Silver, come on, we don't have time for this." She didn't care. If she doesn't protect Aiden's family she knows she'll feel like she failed him.

"You go," the young girl half-shouted at the SOLDIER, she looked up at Zack's worried face and gave him an encouraging nod.

"Alright, just…be careful."

"I will."

Zack pats Silver's head and begins running, dashing his head left to right for any signs of survivors.

The girl's mind drifts off to Ariel and Jack, and wonders where they could be. She silently begs to whatever God there is that they're safe and sound, and that she'll be able to find them. Forcing herself up, she began jogging around the burning village, going in the direction Ariel's house is located at.

Her thoughts blinded her from what is in front of her, and crashed to an elderly man, making them both fall onto the bloodied ground.

"I'm so sorry, si—" Silver's eyes widened at the size of the old man, burly, and tall, he seems like an intimidating man, especially with those icy blue eyes. Gray hair and a gray beard, one would think that this man should be weak from age, but he looks healthier than any other young man she has seen. And there's something about him that she can't place, he's just so familiar to her.

The older man looked down at the small girl before him and sighed in relief that there's at least one survivor. He smiled down at the girl, and stuck his hand out, silently asking if she needed help. Silver hesitantly took his hand, though her widen eyes never faltered.

"Kid, you alright?" Silver nodded—albeit slowly, but the man guessed that she's still in shock at the village's massacre. "What happened to your family—where are they?"

The question he asked, Silver has been asking herself that all this time. Who are her family, is she from this once homely village, are they looking for her, does she even _have _a family? Silver doesn't have answers to those questions.

"I don't know."

The man frowned, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Hmph…come with me then."

Silver shook her head. "I can't, sir, you see, I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Ariel and Jack Walberg."

The man's eyes sadden, but the scowl showed the anger behind his sadness, and Silver wonders what happened to them, though she fears the worst. "Sir, what happened to them?"

"Kid, the name's Zangan, not 'Sir'." _Zangan_, where had she heard that name before? "And about Ariel and Jack…it isn't too good."

Silver's eyes widen in surprise, and cursed the tears flowing out of her eyes. "What happened to them?"

Zangan can see the hesitation on his lips whenever he opens them then closes them, deciding whether or not to tell her the truth. Zangan nodded, deciding to himself before opening his mouth, and Silver braced herself. "You want to listen to the good news or the bad news first, kid?"

"The name's Silver not 'kid', and I want to hear the bad news."

_Always prepare yourself for the worst,_ Silver thinks to herself.

Zangan raised an eyebrow at her sharp tongue, but nodded. "You see, Ariel's…Well, she's…." Zangan rubbed the back of his neck, not sure how to form the words. "She's…"

"Dead," Silver answered for him, already expecting his words. The small girl let the tears fall, but she kept her face an emotionless mask.

Zangan sighed, glad that he didn't have to give the young girl such fowl news. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

Silver isn't amused. "What's the good news, then?"

"Jack survived—the kid sure did put up a fight with me from tearing him away from his mother."

Silver let out a sigh of relief; though felt a stabbing ache of the twelve year old out alone. "Where is he now?"

"Out of Nibelheim, I made sure of it."

Jack, the young boy out in the woods alone, frightened her, but she guessed it's better in there than in being in the blazing village. "Thank you." Silver whispered at the older man, lifting her head so that she can meet his blue eyes. "Thanks so much—I don't know how to repay you."

Zangan smiled sadly at Silver, and touched her shoulder. "Just help me find some survivors…alright?" Silver nodded, both sad and relief of the news she just received. Ariel…gone, but hopefully she's happy being with Aiden again, that thought alone made Silver feel a little less tense. But Jack…alone in the forest, sad, angry, scared, that just put more weight on her shoulders. The village…burning, people dying from left to right, and it's all Sephiroth's fault, which made her angry, betrayed, and murderous.

"Do you know who did this?" Silver asked the old man, making sure that is was indeed Sephiroth.

Zangan scowled and began walking, avoiding any eye contact with her. "Yeah, it was that Shinra SOLDIER, the one with the white hair…Sephiroth." Silver let out shaky breath, hoping to calm down her beating heart. "That bastard…he just started killing people for no apparent reason, the buildings…they're burned to ashes now. Fucking Shinra."

"Shinra?" Silver felt that click in her mind once again when she heard that name.

"You never heard of Shinra, Silver?"

Silver frowned but nodded slowly. "I think so…I feel like I heard it from somewhere," Silver shook her head, "but I don't know what that is."

Zangan frowned at the girl in confusion. "How is that? Shinra is all over Gaia, they practically own this planet." Silver simply shrugged and never responded back. Silver avoided eye contact with the elderly man by looking down at the floor, for any living body.

A sudden movement caught Silver's attention. It's a few yards away, but she can faintly see a man struggling to get up. "There's a man over," Silver grabs Zangan's hand and runs to the injured man.

"Sharp eyes, kid." Zangan commented, kneeling down next to the man. Silver copied his movements and checked the man for his injuries…but…he's been pierced, Silver can see blood seeping out of his abdomen.

Silver took off her white T-shirt off, thankful that she chose to where a tank top, and pressed it against the man's wound, hoping to stop the bleeding, though the man hissed in pain, and struggled, she did not loosen the pressure, better to feel pain then be dead.

"Please…stop," the man whimpered.

"Sorry, sir, but she's only trying to help you," Zangan reassured the man, making the other man rests his head on his lap.

But the young man shook his head. "No use…I'm already…dead."

"No, just hang on, you'll be alright." Silver just put more pressure on her shirt, cursing the flowing blood coming out. It just won't seem to stop—there's so much blood coming out of him. He's too pale, too close to death.

"Silver," Zangan grabbed Silver's shoulder, but she ignored him. "Silver, he'll get better, I got materia on me."

"Materia?" Silver stopped what she was doing and stared at the young man bleeding. He's shaking his head, pleading not to.

"No…no materia," he coughed, and Silver winced when blood splattered out. "I want to…be…with my family."

"Your family?" The man nodded slowly, and closed his eyes, wincing in pain.

Silver raised her head to meet Zangan eyes, he too has a pain stricken look upon his face. "You sure?" He asked.

"Yes."

Silver never took her eyes off of the old man as he put something round and glowing back into his large pockets…Materia? Silver guessed it is, since she can't find another word that belongs to that little object.

"What do we do now?" Silver asked her eyes back on the dying man.

"We wait."

Agonizing, Silver thinks, watching a man suffer slowly into a painful death. This is wrong…so wrong. Just watching him, and do nothing does not fit will with Silver…but that's what he asked…to die, to be with his family. This man must have watched his family being murdered—Sephiroth be damned.

"Zangan! Zangan!" The sudden voice made Silver jump, and glare when she saw the man's eyes open wide.

Silver lifted her head up, and spotted a girl run her way towards them. She heard Zangan sigh in relief. "Tifa! What are you doing here? Get out of here now!"

Silver felt her whole body tense at the name. _Tifa…Lockhart?_ Tifa…Silver has heard of that name somewhere, like she seen almost everybody she met. But Tifa and Cloud…they mean something to special to her, but doesn't know what that is, and that frustrates her to no end.

The girl came closer, and Silver's shock is almost palpable. The girl has long dark brown hair, pale skin, brownish—almost reddish eyes, and is wearing a cow-girl suit. Yes…this is Tifa…but Silver never met her in her life…well, in her few days of her "new" life, since her memories are all lost, which makes her wonder how she knows these people. Tifa stopped next to Zangan. Her face…it's so sad, so angry, but her eyes fill with sympathy once she spots the small girl kneeling next to the dying man, her hand covered in blood.

"Master…" Tifa's red-brown eyes lowered down to Silver, and kneeled down with them. "Are you okay sweetie?" Tifa grabs Silve4r's bloody hands.

Silver scowled and tore her hands away from the taller girl. "My name's not sweetie, it's Silver, and for your information, I'm older than you…" Silver wonders how she knows this, but that information is in the back of her mind, kind of like common sense.

Tifa didn't react to Silver's words, instead she stood back up and she let her eyes wonder to the injured man, and wished for him to get better, and then to Zangan. "What on earth is going on? Why did things turn out like this?"

Zangan looked down at the bleeding man before responding. "It seems like Sephiroth is behind all of this?"

Tifa's eyes widen in surprise. "Huh?...Sephiroth?" Tifa lowered her eyes. " Impossible, why would Sephiroth do a thing like this?" Silver saw Tifa's eyes panic a bit, and the tall girl raised her eyes once again. "Master, have you seen my father?"

"Your father was at the Mako Reactor…"

Tifa began running, but the weaken voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't…" All heads snapped to the wounded man. "Don't go…Sephiroth…he's up there."

Tifa eyes darken, and ignored the man, turning her back and running towards the mountain.

"Wait, Tifa!" Zangan yelled after his student. "You can't do anything even if you go!" She ignored him. "Tifa!"

"I'm going with her." Zangan shook his head at Silver, but his eyes were only on Tifa's disappearing body. "I'll keep her from endangering herself," Silver tried convincing Zangan once again, in which he nodded—albeit ruefully, but agreed anyway, and his attention went back on the brown-haired man.

Getting up from her position, Silver ran till she reached the stairs and turned a left where the mountain is at, she can faintly see Tifa's body up ahead, but made no attempt to call her. Just follow, she must know her up Mt. Nibel. But Tifa sure is fast, but Silver forces her legs to keep going, no matter how much it hurts breathe in the smoke polluting the village's air.

When she gets her hands on Sephiroth, she hopes that'll she'll be able to kill him…Silver swears that she'll do her best to avenge the only home she has ever remembered, and the people who lived in it.

* * *

Gordon Lockhart lays half dead on the hard ground, blood seeping out of him. How did this all start? He wonders. Where is Tifa? Tifa, his only daughter…he hopes nothing bad happened to her, he doesn't know if he can take it…but he'll be dead before he'll know what happened to her. Sephiroth. Gordon wonders why he followed the SOLDIER up to the Mako Reactor. Did he have a death sentence or something? Did he not want to see his daughter again? No—he was just furious, so furious in fact that he didn't even think of his daughter while pursuing Sephiroth. It was impulse, wanting to hurt someone who hurt anything close to him.

Just like he did with Cloud. He hasn't seen that boy in two years…he regrets blaming Cloud on Tifa's injury; he knows it wasn't his fault. But he was angry, so angry that Tifa was so irresponsible enough to climb the cold mountain all by herself, of course, he understands that she was so in shock with her mother's death that she was in denial. Gordon just wished she hadn't been hurt. And now, he wishes he could see Tifa once more. And Cloud…he wants to apologize to him.

But it's too late now, is it?

"Father!"

Gordon's ears perked when he hears his daughter's voice. He tries to call her out, but he can't find his voice…he's slipping away.

* * *

"Father, where are you?" Silver runs along with Tifa, sad, and angry. They never spoke with each other, Silver just listen to Tifa's pleas.

Though once they reached the outside of the Mako Reactor, Silver sees a body limp on the ground. Blood all over the man's body, and a long sharp sword stabbed into the ground besides him. The sword has blood all over it…everything has blood, Silver exclaims. Everywhere she goes, there's blood, though that blade itself gives Silver this bad vibe coming from it…such a bad vibe.

Silver stood behind Tifa when the taller girl kneeled besides the man and cradled him onto her lap. Silver is guessing that this man is her father. He sure does look like it.

"Hang in there, dad." Tifa's voice sounds so strong, so sure, but Silver knows how useless her words are.

Tifa's father raises his hand, and Tifa immediately holds on to it. "Father!"

"Tifa…run away…now."

"Hey, hang in there, dad!" Tifa begins sobbing, but her voice is still so steady. But Silver saw how her father's hand went limp in Tifa's hand, and turned her head away from the gloomy scene, and tried to drown out Tifa's cries.

"Tifa?" Silver called out.

The younger girl suddenly stopped crying. She stood up, her head facing the ground. "Sephiroth, right? She asked her head father. "Sephiroth did this to you, right?"

"Tifa." Tifa's dead-like tone reminded Silver so much of Ariel that a soft sob escaped her mouth, though a little flutter of fear hit her, when Tifa began walking towards the long sword.

"Sephiroth…SOLDIER…Shinra…Mako Reactor…" Tifa pulled out the sword from the ground, and began screaming. "I hate it…I hate it all!" She ran towards the Mako Reactor, ready to fight.

"Tifa!" Silver called after the young girl, afraid of what might happen to her if she faced Sephiroth and chased after her.

Tifa ignored Silver's cries of please, so Silver instead chose to run faster up the stairs. She could see an opening, probably where it holds the Mako Reactor, and cursed Tifa's fast legs.

"Damnit, Tifa!"

And she still wouldn't stop, Tifa's out looking for blood, and there's nothing that's going to stop her. But…Sephiroth might be one exception to that, Silver thought. She isn't sure how skilled Tifa is at fighting, though something is telling her that she's exceptional…but Silver also has a feeling that Sephiroth is much more skilled than anybody will ever be.

They reached the opening, and Silver stopped, and didn't notice the other girl enter. She has a horrible feeling that she can't quite place, fear is running through her veins and she has no idea why. It's just…_Jenova_. That name…it won't go away, she heard of it though, from somewhere, she just doesn't remember, but it must have been bad. _Sephiroth…Jenova…Cetra?_ What is that? What do they mean? How are they connected?

A sudden cry snapped Silver out of her thoughts, and ran inside, setting her fears aside. It's dark in there, but there's enough light to see a figure falling down the stairs. Silver ran toward the fallen body, tears coming out, once she realized who that person it.

"Tifa!"

Kneeling besides the girl, Silver cradled Tifa on her lap, looking for any sign of injury, which unfortunately, there is. A large gash across her stomach is seen, a lot of blood coming out. Silver's seen too much blood to last a life time; she's tired of it, so tired.

Suddenly remembering who is responsible for her wound, Silver lifted her head up, and glared at the figure on the top of the stairs, and he stares back, a smirk set on his lips.

"You monster! How could you!" Silver screamed with every fiber of her being. She isn't screaming for what he has done to Tifa. She's screaming at him for herself, for the village, for the people, for Tifa, for Tifa's farther, for Zangan, for Zack, for Cloud…for everybody. She's doing this for them— they're anger coming out of her. "You're a monster! Why? Why would you do this—why!"

He didn't respond, nor did her screams of anger faze him. He only continued to smirk, and turned around, entering the room in search for his "mother".

She feels so betrayed. She growls in frustration, and closes her eyes to keep the tears from coming out, but snaps them open when she hears Tifa mumble something.

"Tifa?"

The only response Silver got was, "Cloud," before Tifa went limp in her arms. Silver knows that she didn't die, she could feel her breathing, and just brushed Tifa's long dark hair out of her face.

Her anger…it's too much for her to bear—it's just too much. She wants to let it loose. Her fist is shaking so hard, her hard breathing is coming out of her nose. Pure fury is what she's feeling right now, she hates this feeling—all this anger in her just makes her want to explode, and she knows who to take it out on.

Gently laying Tifa on the floor, Silver got up and ran up the stairs and entered the small room, closing the door behind her. The room—it's so green. There's a large thick rope in front of her that leads to a large round table thing, and on top of the white table is what seems like chamber of some sorts—a tube…but it's shaped into something…not from this planet. And man that she holds all her anger on is standing in front of the tube.

"Sephiroth!" Silver's scream echoed throughout the room, making sure that the man can hear her.

The figure standing from afar slowly turned her way. "How could you? You bastard, why would you kill those people?"

Sephiroth simply cocked his head to the side. "…They deserved it. You humans abandoned my mother, and I will not stand for it."

"That's no excuse! You killed innocent people, you killed _children—_ I fucking hate you!" Silver reached the peak of her anger and charged towards the SOLDIER making sure that she doesn't fall off of the rope.

Silver watched for Sephiroth's move. She saw Sephiroth's arm twitch and stopped in time before his sword could pierce her. Silver did a round-house kick to knock Sephiroth's sword out of his hand, but she didn't expect him to be so fast when he took a step back. Silver growled and jumped out of the way before his Sephiroth tried stabbing her. She watched him, calculating, though what made her heart constrict with fear is that there isn't any humanity left in his eyes, just this certain crazy gleam. His smirk…much the same.

Silver charged at the man again, and this time ducked down before the sword could swipe her. She swept her strong leg across the floor and tried sweeping Sephiroth off his feet, but he jumped out of the way before Silver could even touch his ankles. Growling in frustration, Silver sent him a forceful punch, but once again, Sephiroth dodged her attack. But she continued punching him, kicking him, charging him, dodging him, while receiving small, but painful scratched, but to no avail. They've been fighting in circles, and while Sephiroth looks like he hasn't even broken a sweat, Silver is exhausted. She wonders if he's only toying with her.

Taking a few steps back, Silver took a little breather, though Sephiroth sighed in frustration. "I don't have time for this, Silver."

Silver scowled and shook her head, and charged at him. This time though, she did a split, avoiding his sword, and did quick jabs on his stomach, but Sephiroth dodged them, and jumped out of the way. Growling, Silver quickly got up, but did not make a move.

Sephiroth cocked his head to the side, a sadistic smirk placed on his lips. "You're quite fast. Agility is better than strength is what I always say." He then frowned, and took a step toward Silver. "This is no time for playing, I must retrieve my mother."

"So you can what? Kill more innocent people," Silver shook her head. "I won't have it!"

Silver ran towards him, quickly jumping over the long sword, and kicked Sephiroth Square on his gut, but this only seem to annoy Sephiroth more than it hurt him, when he whipped his sword across Silver's right cheek. Luckily Silver moved out of the way to receive minimal damage, but that didn't stop Silver from hissing, and touching her wound. It stung…badly, and she feels the wet, sticky blood. Deciding it was now or never, Silver took a step back so that she could get a good aim at his sword, and kicked it out of his hand, this time it worked perfectly. Before Sephiroth even has time to go for his sword, Silver upper cut him on his chin, making herself flip and then land perfectly on her feet. She crouched, ready for his next attack.

Sephiroth, angered by her kick, charged towards the young girl. Silver knew that he was fast, but she didn't realize he was _this_ fast. In a blink of an eye, Silver is caught in Sephiroth's right hand; he's strangling her, her feet dangling in the air. Silver tried scratching his hand, but his leather is his shield, so she tried punching him, but that would only keep her from breathing, so she held onto his large hand, so she then tried kicking him, but that seem to do nothing to him. He _was_ only toying with her, he wasn't even trying. This made Silver's hatred spark even more.

"Fuck you," she hissed between her teeth. Sephiroth merely smiled evilly at the girl, before throwing her across the room. Silver screamed and knew that she was going to die, but she landed back on the right side of the entrance, her back and head bumping onto the hard wall.

She hissed when she felt her head impact hard on the wall, and Silver can feel something wet going down on the left side of her head. A headache is forming, and she stands up, wincing and hissing from the pain, and faced Sephiroth, but his figure is back on the tube like thing once again, completely ignoring her.

"Sephiroth," she whispered to herself, remembering what she said to the 1st Class Soldier the night she woke up from sleep. "You're not human…you're a monster, a sick, sadistic, monster…I hope you die."

A sudden explosion, made Silver fall to the floor and avoided getting killed by the smashed door. Silver stood up in her fighting stance, and waited for the intruder, but felt like falling when she saw Zack coming in. She immediately hugged him, crying into his chest. All of her anger, all of her pain, is coming out of those tears.

"Zack—Zack, you're okay. And Cloud, how's Cloud?"

Zack gently pushed the girl away from him when he saw something blood coming out of the side of her cheek and head. Cupping his left hand on her chin, he lifted her head up to get a better look at her face. He frowned at her wound, and inspected her body for more injuries. There are small scratches all over her body, her tank top is ripped with tiny slashes, and he can see blood coming out, though her face received the most damage. Zack lifted his eyes and looked past Silver, seeing the man who caused all this destruction completely ignoring them. His eyes darken, and lowered his eyes to meet Silver's.

"He did this to you, right?" Silver nodded. Zack scowled and pulled her out of the room. "Get out of here, I'll take care of him, and take Tifa to safety, understand?"

His serious attitude made Silver nervous. "Got it."

She ran down the steep stairs, worrying about Zack in the back of her mind. But he can take care of himself, after all he is a 1st Class SOLDIER just like Sephiroth, he will be able to kill him, if not, at least weaken him.

Silver kneeled besides Tifa's body, breathing heavily, and tried to wake her up. "Tifa," she didn't respond. "Tifa," and she still wouldn't wake up. Hearing the explosion and crashes in the other room made Silver on a verge to hysteria. Cursing under her breath, Silver decided that she would have to carry her.

Tugged her hands under Tifa's legs and upper body, Silver used all of her strength to carry her, and she was able to, but the _thumping_ in her skull made Silver put Tifa back on the ground, and cradled her head.

"Tifa."

The sudden voice caused Silver to cover Tifa's body with her own protectively. A Shinra Guard is standing before her, looking down at Tifa's body.

"Get out of here," Silver hissed between her teeth.

The man dropped down to her his knees, and kept looking at the young girl. "Tifa," he repeated.

Finally recognizing his voice, and seeing bits of blonde hair sticking out of his helmet, Silver relaxed, and went back to kneeling. She grabbed the man's hand, and gave a reassuring squeeze. "Cloud?" The man nodded.

"Tifa…is she…" he left his question unspoken.

Silver knew what he meant and shook her head, but winced from the pain. "It's okay, Cloud, she's—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, something came crashing out of the other room, landing against a wall on the other side of the left hand side of the stair well. Realizing that that something is Zack, she yelled, and ran towards him, jumping over the stair well, and sat next to him, grabbing onto his hand, being careful not to damage his arm any further.

"Zack!" The dark-haired man slowly opened his eyes, his mako eyes not even focusing on her face. "Zack!"

"Cloud!" Silver turned around and asked for help, but Cloud walked towards them, stopping in front of a large, big, and thick sword. "Cloud?" he didn't say anything to her, he just picked up the large sword, and began running up the stairs and into the room where Sephiroth lies. "Cloud!"

She was about to stand and run for him, but strong hands, grabbed her arm and pulled her down. Silver's widen eyes, met Zack's half closed ones, and she let her fear show.

"It's okay…he's stronger than you…think."

Silver stubbornly shook her head. "NO! He's just a kid…I won't let him die—I can't!"

The silver-eyed girl once again tried getting up, but to no avail. Even on the brick of life and death, Zack is still so much stronger than she is. "You're weak compared…to him," Zack pointed to her wounds. "He was just…having…fun with you." Zack grimaced in pain, before continuing. "He could have killed you in seconds…if he wanted…to."

"I don't care, it's Cloud we're talking about— he's still a kid."

Zack smirked slightly. "So are you."

"I'm the same age as you." Silver frowned at Zack's light tone. He's being playful, he shouldn't be playful—he's almost dead, dammit.

"Could have fooled me."

Silver flicked Zack's forehead, and took hold of his hand again. "This is no time for being so light, Zack, you're half-dead."

Zack said nothing, though his gaze immediately went up to the top of the stairs. Silver turned her head so that it'll be facing at the top of the stairs. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Cloud running down the stairs, and picked up Tifa, carrying her out of the Mako Reactor. Silver noticed that Cloud didn't have his helmet on.

"Did he…kill him?" Silver asked.

Zack only grunted in response, and squeezed the girl's hand. "Go…go…he still might be alive."

"What about you?"

Zack laughed, but there was no humor behind it, just bitterness. "Like you said…I'm already half-dead."

Silver grimaced at his words, but said nothing. She wouldn't leave him, he's too weak, and he can barely keep his eyes open, let alone talk. Silver tries to hide her tears but using her thick hair as a veil, but she can hear Zack scoffing. "No need to hide."

_Easy for you to say_, Silver scoffed. She noticed how Zack is willing to show how he feels no matter what, he doesn't hide himself, not like she does, and sometimes, Silver wishes she could be like Zack; carefree, funny, cocky…but she isn't, and has to stop dreaming of the day that she'll be happy, cause even though she doesn't remember anything of her past, she knows that she has suffered, and right now, she knows that her suffering isn't over yet.

A sudden crash made them both snapped their heads towards the entrance to the other room. "Dear God," Silver mumbled.

Silver hears footsteps once again, and turned her head so that it'll be facing the entrance to the building. Cloud is coming, with determination in his eyes. And out of the corner of her eye, Silver can see Sephiroth coming out of the tiny room, his sword on his left hand, and a…head? On his right. Creepy, what is that anyway?

_Jenova…_A little voice in the back of her head answers. Jenova? _Mother._

Sephiroth's words attacked her mind. _"This is no time for playing, I must retrieve my mother."_ Is that head…his mother? They both have the silvery white hair, but…Silver has a strong feeling that he has it all wrong.

Sephiroth is clutching his stomach with the same hand he's holding his sword with and Silver realizes that there's blood dripping out. He smirks evilly down at Cloud. "A bastard like you…"

"Cloud…" the blond-haired boy stopped in his tracks when he heard Zack's voice, "finish him."

"The likes of you…" Silver felt a shiver of fear go down her spin when she saw how crazy the silvered-haired man looks.

Grabbing the large sword next to Cloud, he yells, "Sephiroth!" before charging at him.

Sephiroth grimaces before deflecting Cloud's attack. "Don't think is that easy!"

Silver cried out when the SOLDIER pierced Cloud through his chest, and swung him into the room. Sephiroth slowly walks in after, leaving Silver seething in hatred. The young girl tried getting up but Zack kept pulling her down.

"Zack…stop!"

"Go to Tifa…if Cloud dies, he wouldn't want her to…die as well."

His words stopped Silver in her rage and considered his words. Cloud likes her, she knows that much, and Tifa as well…Silver heard her whisper his name affectionately. Tifa has a better chance of survival if her wound is treated…Cloud might not even make it out alive. Tifa will be in grief if Cloud dies…Tifa might die if she doesn't get help, and Cloud might get defeated anyhow. Silver knows though, that she needs to protect Tifa—for Cloud. He wants to protect her. Silver isn't sure how she knows that fact, it's like common sense. Protecting her is what he wants, he wants her to live.

Nodding, Silver hugs Zack, making sure that she doesn't hurt him, before standing up, but she couldn't help but looked down at him with worry. "What about you?"

Zack uses what strength he has left to lift his head and meet her eyes. He smiles softly at her. "Remember…I'm half-dead."

"Right."A tear slips out of Silver's eyes when she sees Zack's blue eyes close.

Nodding to herself, she ran down the few steps and out of the Mako Reactor. It's dark and smoky out, a reminder of what had happened earlier. Scowling, Silver looked for Tifa.

"Tifa?" She called out, but no one answered, though she spots a large figure, and runs towards it.

"Tifa?" Recognizing, the long dark hair, Silver relaxes, but her guard is still up, since she doesn't know the person whose caring Tifa.

"Hey, you!"

The figure stopped, and turned around, revealing that the person caring Tifa is Zangan. Sighing in relief, Zangan smiled at the tiny girl, and patiently waited for her to stop next to him.

Silver isn't sure if she should be relieved seeing Zangan or confused, since she thought that he left the village a while ago. "Zangan?"

"Silver." Zangan grinned at the girl, but immediately turned serious. "We have to go."

Silver shook her head. "We can't just leave them here."

Zangan's head lifted up at the sky. "Shinra is comin', we have to leave."

Silver lifted her up as well, and she could faintly see a helicopter coming its way. Confused, Silver frowned and looked back at the older man. "They can help us."

Zangan scoffed and began running down the stairs, ran past Tifa's father and down the hill, with Silver running right beside him. "But like you said, they practically own this world, they can help us."

"We can't trust them," was all he said. He stopped in his tracks, Silver stopping with, and looked back at the building. "Let's hope they make it out alive."

Silver's heart gave a little squeeze at his words. Even as Zangan began walking again, she kept looking at the building, wondering when all of this had gone wrong. It felt like minutes ago when she was just with Reno and Rude, and now…now everything, and everybody is dead. Silver has a bad feeling leaving Cloud and Zack alone in there, and it becomes even worse when she sees a helicopter land. Why, she wonders, why are these bad vibes attacking her body?

"Yeah…let's hope," she mumbled before she caught up Zangan and an unconscious Tifa on his back.

The martial artist master gave Silver a sideways glance, eyeing her bloody face, scratched body, and dried-blood hands, though he knows whose blood that belongs to. "What happened to you?"

"Sephiroth," she mumbled, and Zangan understood perfectly. His darkened at how Silver kept scowling and kept rubbing her temples, as if she was trying to get rid of an headache. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Midgar."

* * *

Dead…everything's dead. Burned to ashes…blood—too much blood. Silver….what happened to her? Did she survive, or did she die? How could this happen. Zack, he was there, why couldn't he have stopped Sephiroth? The Great Sephiroth, that's what he is, he's too great, too powerful.

Silver…Reno regrets ever treating her and the village badly.

Silver…why is he such a jackass? Why couldn't he have chased Silver into the village and help those people.

Silver…she's gone.

The village…it's burned to ashes.

The villagers…they're dead.

Sephiroth…he killed them.

Zack…he's half-dead.

Cloud…he's hanging on by a single string of life.

Shinra…they're doing nothing about it.

Reno should be mad, if not, infuriated, by their actions, but he's not. He understands why Shinra must hide the massacre, though it hurts to know what those people's destinies were. Silver. He couldn't believe that she had died—though he had no proof of it— knowing her for three days made him think like that. She's fiery, always holding this certain determination gleam. Even her anger is enough to scare other people into oblivion. She's also tough and won't take shit, though Reno is certain that Silver isn't tough enough to defeat Sephiroth…no one is. But…this Cloud guy…he was able to take down Sephiroth, but he was nothing, just a normal soldier, nothing more, at least, that was what he observes those days of staying in Nibelheim.

Reno and Rude stood next to Tseng who's speaking with Hojo in a silent conversation, and watched Zack's body laying on a gurney, breathing heavily, bleeding. And Cloud also laying on a gurney, is being pushed right behind Zack.

But Hojo stopped the medics, and inspected Cloud's bleeding body. "Insteresting. Very interesting."

Reno scowled, and walked away, Rude following in suit. He never liked Hojo, always found him creepy…and greasy.

The other Turks investigated the area and paid no mind to the two partners entering the helicopter.

"It was just a few hours ago." Rude mumbled. Reno said nothing. "Do you think—"

"I don't really care, Rude." Reno snapped at his partner, knowing where his question will lead. But Reno does care, more then he should. "I don't care."

Rude grunted. "It won't make a difference if you did, everybody's dead."

She's dead…Silver's dead.

Dead.

Why does his heart hurt so much?

* * *

_AN: There you have, I hope you liked it. And I'm beggin you, please review._

_I'll all give you virtual cookies if you do?_


	4. Chapter 4

Five Years Later

"_I was frozen in time, but I feel as if my time is just beginning."  
_-Vincent Valentine

* * *

The first day they came into Midgar, Silver immediately discarded herself from Zangan and Tifa. Zangan didn't question her, in fact, he let her go freely, he understands that staying with them might be a bit too much for her, especially if she stays with an injured Tifa…he feels the same way. Just seeing anything or anyone who reminds him of Nibelheim gave him an aching pain in his heart, so once he heals Tifa, he'll leave her and go from town-to-town, not making any plans to settle down, and once he accepts the death of his home town, he'll go back and discern what really happened. He wants to find out why Sephiroth, the greatest warrior in all of Gaia, massacred a whole village.

* * *

_Silver never regretted her decision, even though she worries for both Tifa and Zangan, but she knows that they'll be alright. Silver's headache's started to go away a week before, but sometimes they come back…hard, though they only last for seconds, but to her it feels like they last for minutes, it's extremely painful, to say the least. But with every agonizing headache, she gets "new" memories._

_Throughout the week, her headaches were constant, but she also learned a lot about herself. She remembered that her birthday is on September 5__th__, but still doesn't know the place she was born, she also remembered that she's a Kung-Fu master. She took it when she turned 8 years old, she learned two of the "Five Animals" which are the Snake, and Leopard, though she's still needs to practice on Tiger._

_In a way, she's grateful, because she got the memories she wanted back, but then again, most of her memories were ones that she's willing to forget once again. Her parents, Jaque and Ameralda Ronaldo, are people she doesn't want to remember. They abused her, emotionally and physically wise. They also used her for drugs. They would force her to get drugs from a man that lives in her old neighborhood. He was a rather tall, buff and intimidating black man, he had no hair, he had tattoos all over his body, and he had this hard angry face that takes no shit. But, once you get to know the guy, he was actually pretty sweet. Sometimes he would even let her sleep over his house, so she could get away from the abuse. The first day she came into Midgar, after a few hours she left Tifa and Zangan, she had this memory of him._

~OxOxO~

Silver walked in the dark, dashing her head from left to right, making sure that no one or anything see her. It's a dangerous neighborhood, she's knows the risk of walking late at night, but she also knows the risk of staying at home with two people high on drugs. She knew the big man would keep her safe, he always did, even if he looks like he can eat her alive.

Walking down the street, and running up the steps, the seven year old pounded on the man's white door. The door swung open, and Silver let out a sigh of relief, she isn't intimidated by the man anymore, she knows how soft he is. Without asking permission, Silver ran inside, and climbed onto the man's red leather couch.

Grumbling, and rubbing his eyes in exhaustion, the man plopped down on the couch next to her, and looked down at the tiny girl, and gave her a scowl.

"Kid, don'tcha know I was sleepin'?"

Silver gave him a scowl of her own. "My name isn't 'kid', it's Silver, how many times do I have to say it?"

Scoffing, the black man gently ruffled Silver's hair, in which she glared at him, and fixed her black hair. "You sure do got a sharp tongue, kid. It'll do ya good."

"Silver! Silver! Do you understand? Silver!"

"Whatever, kid."

Silver huffed, and crossed her arms, knowing it would be useless to argue with the freakishly tall man.

The man, however, took a peek of Silver out of the corner of his eyes, and smirked at her angry face.

"Whatcha doin' here, kid?" The man asked, knowing the reason why, but he wants to make sure before making any sort of accusation.

Silver leaned against the couch, and rested her temple on the man's thick, muscular arm. "My mommy and daddy. I'm scared, they were angry at me for not bringing them more of that white stuff I bought from you."

The man glowered, and cursed at himself. He should know by now how much this little girl suffers for giving drugs to her addicted parents, he's an idiot…but he needs the money, and they're his best customers. And since his conscious is killing him, he'll let this small girl sleep in his house whenever she wants.

"Silver, you wanna go to sleep in my bed?"

Silver shook her head and patted the soft couch. "Nah-uh, it's your bed, and this couch is comfortable, I'll be okay." Silver then cocked her head to the side and realized that she doesn't even know his name. "What's your name, mister?"

The man sent her a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow. "The name's Cornelius, but that name ain't me, so call me Barrett."

~OxOxO~

_Weeks later, Barrett is found dead—murdered. It was devastating that the only person that seems to care for her is dead, though she hid her sadness as best as she could from her parents, and from then on, Silver didn't let herself be pushed around by her parents. She took care of herself, fed herself, washed herself, stole money from others, and even worked a little by selling candy in the neighborhood._

_There's also this guy that looks awfully a lot like Barrett, she's seem him here in Midgar before, he was the tallest guy in the City. But his hairdo is done a little different, he doesn't have any tattoos on his body, except one on his left shoulder, but does have three scars on the right side of his cheek, and his right hand is nothing but metal, which she guessed was a built in hand gun. She isn't sure if that guy is Barrett, sure he looks like him, but yet, he's so different. Silver decided to ignore her thoughts and roamed around the city some more, even during late at night. She thinks she has to sleep on the streets once again._

~OxOxO~

_On December 21st, Silver was walking around the city, trying to find some food. People wouldn't hire her, she knows that because of her dirty and bloodied look, or maybe because of her childish features, either way, they're not hiring her, and she has nothing more to do then steal._

_She's sees a little girl walk around a park with other little kids, she's holding two ice creams. Silver frowned at the girl. The little brat has two and she hasn't even started licking hers!_

_Putting a friendly smile on her face, Silver jogged her way to the small girl. She looked like she was about seven years hold, had two golden piggy tails, and a white dress._

"Excuse me, little girl?" _Silver called when she stopped behind the girl._

_The little kid turned around and shyly smiled up at the dirty girl. _"Hello."

_Silver smiled sweetly at the girl, and eyed her chocolate ice cream in her right hand. _"Hello, my name's Silver, what's yours?"

_The girl frowned at Silver and shook her head. _"My mommy said that I can't trust strangers, they might kidnap me."

_Silver laughed bitterly at how ironic that statement is. There she is, the little girl walking alone all by herself, with no grown-up with her. How does she expect to trust strangers, when her mother isn't even here with her…story of her life._

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm not like those people, I don't have the need to steal kids, that's just not my forte." _Silver smiled, but her bitterness came out as well._

_The little girl smiled, not noticing Silver's anger behind her smile. _"My name's Hailey. I was just waiting for my mom, she told me to wait for her here, and went to a store."

_Silver snorted, but kept her smiled on. _"That's nice," _she cocked her head to the side, and kneeled down, so that she could be the same height as Hailey. _"Hey, I notice that you're not eating that chocolate ice cream…can I have it?"

_The little girl shook her head, making her piggy tails sway. _"Nah-uh, one is for me, the other one is for my mommy. I'm sorry. "_But the smile she's giving Silver makes her think she's anything but sorry._

_Silver's bitter smile never wavered, and she gently grabbed onto Hailey's small and skinny shoulders. _"Here's the thing, sweetie, I haven't had ice cream in a long time…I haven't eaten one since my mom died," _Silver could care less if her mom did indeed died, but she's not telling the little girl that, _"and I miss it. My mom used to buy me ice cream all the time when I was little…but she died when I was ten, and I haven't eaten an ice cream since, and seeing you there looking for your mom to eat your ice creams, I just want to experience that, just one last time."

_Silver almost laughed at the sadness in the girl's eyes, but held it in, and allowed some sadness to show in her eyes as well, to make her lie seem more convincing._

"Here," _the girl handed Silver her chocolate ice cream._

_Silver grinned and hugged the girl before standing up. _"Thanks so much." _And with that, Silver waved and walked away from the girl, smiling in triumph when she took a lick of her delicious ice cream._

~OxOxO~

_The next morning, Silver woke from an agonizing headache. Cradling her head, and putting herself in a fetal position, she forced her screams from coming out, but unfortunately, one shout escaped her mouth. She can feel the eyes of by bystanders boring their eyes into her body, but she ignored them, and shut her mouth again, embracing herself for the memory that will hit her next._

~OxOxO~

Silver is sitting at the back of the cafeteria, not bothering to make eye contact with anybody, or talk to anybody. That's why she sat in the back, to avoid people, but this one girl just won't take a hint, will she?

Her name's Devon Walker, she has pretty jade-green eyes, long curly brown hair, an olive tone complexion, and taller than Silver by eight inches. Devon is also two months older then her, and her cheery attitude makes Silver want to stab her in the eyes, but kept herself into doing so and ruefully listen to her chirppy voice.

"Don't you think it's awesome that we're finally in high school, four years will pass, and before you know it, we'll be graduating from high school and go to college." Devon grinned at the small girl in front of her, oblivious to Silver's hostility. "What are you gonna do when we get out of here?" Silver shrugged. "You're not much of a talker, are you?" Silver shrugged again. "Don't worry, I'll make you talk to me, whether you like it or not."

Silver lifted her head up and scowled at the pretty girl in front of her. "And what makes you think that?"

Devon smirked at the girl, and chuckled a bit. "'Cause I just did."

Baffled, Silver's mouth is left hanging open, staring wide eyed at the older girl. Never in her life had someone else had been able to manipulate her like that—never.

"That doesn't count."

Silver eyes must be deceiving her, because she can see Devon's perfect lips tug up into a bigger smirk. "Sure it does. You were talking to me if I'm not mistaking. Unless you were talking to yourself, that is, but we both know that that isn't the case here."

Silver shifts her gaze back to her food, and began stabbing her it with her fork. She heard Devon sigh, but didn't say anything. "Why do you do that?" she asked. Silver didn't respond. "You always try to hide yourself, Sil, you don't have to do that around me, you know. I'm a very trust worthy person, trusty and awesome, if I do say so myself."

"Whatever," Silver mumbled to herself, not knowing how to respond to Devon's statement.

Devon sighed again, and banged the table with her fist to get Silver's attention. "It's okay to be afraid, you know. Everybody has that, even the most biggest baddest guys do. But, I'm here for you Silver, alright…whenever you need it."

The bell rung, signaling the end of lunch, Devon got up, waiting for Silver, but the younger girl didn't move. So all Devon did is say, "Think about what I said, hmm?" and walked away. Silver didn't predict that the most popular and prettiest girl in school would someday become her best friend.

~OxOxO~

_Devon? Devon…her best friend, her anchor, her sister, her family. Devon. __Silver let out a sob once she realized that she lost her best friend, she can't, and won't be able to get her back. __Silver now remembers how Devon would always try to make her share her problems and her feelings to her. She remembers how Devon would always frown when she was angry or frustrated, showing her tiny dimples. She remembers how intimidating Devon's green eyes would look when she narrowed them. She remembers Devon's bright smile, and how it would look like it can shine brighter than the sun._

_She remembers everything about her._

_But…_

_She wished she hadn't, and then maybe this empty feeling in her would disappear once again._

_She began sobbing quietly, and would not dare to open her eyes, all she wanted to see is that smiling face in her mind, nothing more. Nothing more._ Devon,_ she thinks to herself, _Devon_._

"Devon," _Silver whispered to herself._

"Huh, Whatcha say, sweetie?"

_The nasally voice, made Silver to stop from sobbing, and snap her head up. Silver sat up, and kneeled on the hard ground, glaring at the older woman sitting next to her._

_The lady has bronze like hair, and pale blue eyes. She's wearing too much make-up, making her look like a clown, but Silver bets that without the make-up that the lady would look very pretty. Silver also noticed how the lady has a nice body, a body of a model, though she's wearing little to the imagination. Just a white tube top, and a super short black mini skirt. The sad smile the lady is giving Silver makes her want to wipe it right off._

"You okay?" _she asked. Silver simply glared and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. _"You know, you were making quite a scene, everybody was starin', especially the guys." _The lady eyed Silver's legs, noticing that they were quite long._ "They were checkin' you out, those jerks. They didn't even try to help you out. But I am!"

_Silver scowled at the lady's clownish smile. _"I don't need any help, just leave me alone."

_Scoffing, the lady rolled her eyes. _"Sure. You're filthy, you have blood all over yourself, you were just screamin', and you're just fine? Okay, sure, like I can fall for that bull."

"Go away, lady."

_The woman frowned at the name and shook her head. _"I ain't old, alright, I'm only 25, and name ain't lady, its Ramona…got it?"

"Like I give a damn," _Silver scowled, and got up from her position, and began walking away from Ramona, but she felt the older lady's hand grip firmly around her arm, and spun her around so that Silver will be facing her. Silver had to look up to the lady's face._

"Maybe you don't, but I do. I ain't gonna let some kid live in the streets all by herself, it's dangerous in these parts of Midgar."

_Silver pulled her arm away from the woman's grasp. _"I'm eighteen for your information, and my name isn't "kid" it's Silver…got it"

"Eighteen, huh?" _Ramona smirked down at the girl, and inspected Silver. She has a good body, a little skinny, probably from the lack of food. She has long, and if she does say so herself, sexy legs. Behind the dirt and blood on her face, Ramona can tell this girl is very pretty, and her eyes would make any guy go all ga-ga for her. _"Can you dance, Silver?"

_Silver had to blink a few times before she could process Ramona's random question. _"I think so."

"Good, how would like a job?"

"A job?"_Silver asked cautiously. _"What kind of job?"

"You just gotta dance for men."

"Like a stripper?"_ Silver glared at the woman, and took a step back._

_Ramona took step forward, her smile wiped off her face._ "Yes, like a stripper, but its easy money, real easy money. You don't know how much money you earn when men watch you dance."

"Easy money?"_ Silver couldn't believe that she was even considering taking the job; she knew that she'll be degrading herself, but the idea of money full in her pockets, a place of her own, food, and her hygiene, is all that she can think about. She promised to herself that when she earns enough money, she'll quite and get a new job. Silver nodded at the older woman. _"Alright."

_Smiling again, Ramona stuck her hand out. _"It's a deal then," _Silver ruefully shook her hand. __"_"Welcome to the business. You just gotta talk to the boss before you start."

"And who might that be?"

"Don Corneo."

~OxOxO~

_Don Corneo. He's a slimy, fat, and a short man. Silver couldn't help but scrunch her nose in disgust when she first saw him, though he just smirked at her. He's taller than her, but not by much. He's smoking a cigar. He has a tattoo of a bow piercing a heart on the side of his bald head. On the middle of his head, is a curved blond hair. He's very disgusting._

"So," _he sucked on his cigar, and blew it out on Silver face. She resisted the urge to punch him in the face. _"You wanna work for me, huh?"

"Just for a little while."

_Corneo scoffed at the small girl. _"I'm sorry, but once you're in this business, you're in it for good, there's no getting out of it."

Not unless I can do something about it_, Silver wanted to say, but instead, she smiled at him and said, _"I see. That's alright then, it won't matter anyway— just let me work for you."

"Do you do have a nice body," _as if to confirm his thoughts, Corneo stared at her long legs and breast. _"You have nice breast too, not too big, but yet not too small, and they don't sag. They're perfect." _Silver felt naked under his gaze. As if hearing her discomfort, Don Corneo smirked down at the girl. _"Alright, you got the job. You start tonight."

"T-tonight?"

_Corneo ignored her question, and pushed her out of his room, where Ramona is waiting. _"Get her cleaned up, and dolled up for tonight."

"Yes, sir." _Ramona, grabbed Silver's hand, and guided her down the stairs._

"Do you have to prostitute yourself, too?"_ Silver asked, afraid of the answer._

_Ramona shook her head. "_You're still too young. Once you hit twenty, then you can."

_How comforting._

~OxOxO~

_The first night that she started stripping, was the worst, though she kept her disgust hidden behind a mask of seduction, and lust. She was wearing nothing but a black lace panties, and bra. Her face was hidden behind strong, dark make-up, and all the guys kept trying to grab her, but she grabbed their money out of their hands. When the show was over, she hid behind a room, and began crying. She feels disgusted, especially with herself. All she wants is to get this dirty feeling out of her skin. _

_She shakily counted the money in her hand…200 gil. That's not enough, enough to rent a room, in a cheap apartment, and buy a takeout, but that's it._

_So that's what she did. She bought a cheap room, bought take out, and slept on the floor of her apartment, for days. It wasn't until a year later, was she able to buy herself a good bed, paint her apartment into a light purple, and buy a little bit food. Knowing that would need more, she continued to dance for another year, and was able to buy everything she wanted. She was about to stop dancing, but while she went to the store, she came back only seeing her stuff scattered all over the place. Her TV was stolen, her utensils were stolen, her diamond necklace that she bought, and her purple fingerless gloves were also stolen. So, she had to continue dancing, and when she turned Twenty on September 5__th__, she began prostituting._

_Ramona told her that prostituting is much easier money then dancing, because men are more willing to have sex with anybody, for any kind of price, and since she lost almost everything, she did it. _

_She lost her virginity to a 26 year old man. He wasn't gentle, he didn't care that Silver was crying out in pain, nor did he care that she was bleeding between her legs. When she came back home, Silver went into her shower with her clothes on, and began scratching at her skin, feeling that slithering, dirty feeling in her…she cried herself to sleep._

_She did it again the next day; she didn't want to, really, she didn't. But she had no more gil, or food, so she had no other choice. The man was gentle, but she didn't know him, nor did she want to. After they finished, Silver noticed the guy put on a golden ring on his ring finger._

_She went home crying, wrecked with guilt._

_She then started dancing again the next day, and who she saw that day made her go into shock._

~OxOxO~

Silver wants to run away from embarrassment. She wants her pride back, but she needs the money. So, she'll keep dancing around the pole to get enough money, so she can run away from this place. Silver swayed her hips in front of the audience, the men shout for her. She doesn't feel any satisfaction for those glorious cries, the other woman do, but she doesn't. All she wants to do is just run away. She stares at the door, as if begging for it to get her out of this place.

Sighing quietly, Silver smirked seductively, then turned around and walked toward the pole, she grabbed onto it, and she spun herself around. She heard the crowd whoop, and she saw the men throw her money. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see someone come through the door, and something red, but didn't think of it much, and continued dancing, though every fiber of her being told her to stop.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the faces of those perverts, but she continued moving her body. She heard the boos, and she snapped her eyes open, wondering what she was doing wrong, but there's a man getting on stage, a man with red hair, sea-green eyes, and two red streaks on his cheek bones. Reno.

The shock of his presence made Silver gasp in shock, and back away from him. Reno however, only glared at her, though she can see a little shock in his eyes. He stalked towards her and grabbed her wrist and dragged her backstage. Silver didn't fight, her shock is enough to make her fight-or-flight senses to shut down.

It wasn't until they were both locked in a changing room, did Silver started react to Reno's deathly glares. She kept her face emotionless, though her shaking hands were dead giveaway of nervousness.

"R-R-Reno," she cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"

The red head scoffed at her question, and turned away from her. "I can be asking you the same thing."

Silver didn't say anything, why should she? Reno already knows what she was doing; he was just watching her dance in front of those men. Idiot.

"Better yet, I got a better question," Reno's head snapped towards her again, and Silver could practically feel his curiosity. "Why are you alive, yo? I thought you were dead."

Silver crossed her arms across her chest and held her chin up high. "Wow, thanks for thinking so much of me."

"Hmph, you still haven't answered my question, yo."

"I survived. I ran, remember? I saw the village and I ran away. Are you satisfied?"

Reno smirked at her, and he cocked his head to the side. "You're lyin', Silver. You're so easy to read."

"I am not," Silver cursed herself for being so open. He can see right through her, how can that be, when she spent years building up a strong shield.

Reno waved his hand in the air. "I know you won't tell me. I just wanna know why you're in this place?"

Silver cocked an eyebrow up. "What? I can't be here? You're in here, right?"

"Don't put the attention all on me," Reno once again scowled at the young girl. "Answer my damn question, yo! Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I work here."

Reno ran a hand through his red hair, and shook his head. "You work for Corneo, that slimy sonofabitch!"

"Why do you care?"

Her question seemed to impact Reno in some way, because his face became emotionless, even his posture loosened up. He didn't say anything at first, he just kept staring at her, but yet, it almost seems like he's seeing through her. Worried, Silver took a step closer to Reno, she's now close enough where she can touch him, but she makes no move.

"Reno?"

Reno's eyes snapped up to her, Silver noticed how his green eyes soften but it disappeared as soon as it came, and she felt disappointed because of it. His glare made her frown. She wants those soft eyes, not these cold, hard ones.

"I don't care, you're the only one I actually know here."

"Huh, so this is your first time in here, right?"

The sarcasm seeping through her words made Reno raise an eyebrow. "'Course not, I've been here lots of time, just not lately, I've been busy."

"Uh-huh, so, you have the right to judge me, but you've only been here for checking out and probably, having sex with these girls for fun, and I can't judge you?" Silver smirked. "That's pretty hypocritical if you ask me."

Reno shrugged and stuffed his fist in his pockets. "Yeah well, no one asked you."

Suddenly, Reno's eyes started to roam all over Silver's body, and she felt completely naked. Shifting her head from left to right, Silver tried to find a cloak, but sadly, the only things on the racks are more bra and panties, so, she tried hiding herself with her arms, her left covering her chest and her right covering her lower part. Reno's eyes shifted back to her face, and he frowned at her, making Silver wonder what's on his mind.

"What?" She snapped.

"Too much make-up, you look like a fuckin' raccoon."

Silver shook her head, confused by his statement. "What are you talking about, I'm supposed to where a lot of make-up."

Reno scoffed at her words, and leaned against the door frame. "To a point where you look like this?"

Silver blushed, and thanked Ramona for putting her on too much make-up on her face and body to hide her scars. "I-I have too, Ramona says that men like it, its part of the job, so I have no other choice."

"Tell me, Silver," Reno took a deep breath before continuing. "What else do you do besides stripping?"

Silver's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the taller man. "Nothing."

"You're what, twenty, right?" Reno continued as if Silver said nothing at all. "And a good friend of mine told me that once you reached twenty, you can start prostitutin', is that true?"

Reno's too calm for Silver's taste, his body is tense, but his face is blank, she doesn't like how he's so hard to read, she can't manipulate him, because he'll know that she'll be doing it, she can't lie, because he'll know, she can't hide herself, because he can read her without even trying. So instead, she'll go with the truth, and if needed, a little lie.

"Yes."

Reno nodded, and his eyes once again started roaming her body. "Tell me the truth, yo. What else have you been doin'?"

"Nothing."

"That's bull, Silver, and you know it."

Silver shook her head, and avoided his eyes. "It's not, I'm telling the truth, I'm only dancing— I swear it to you."

"Then why don't I believe you, yo?" Silver winced at his angered yell, not because she's scared, but because his anger shows how much he knows.

"You don't have to believe me, I'm telling the truth— I'm not doing anything else." Silver could even hear the lie in her tone.

"You got some nerve, lyin' to me." Out of the corner of Silver's eye, she can see Reno walked up to her, before she could even react, Reno hands tightly grabbed either of her arm. She winced from his hold, but made no attempt to look at him. "It bothers me, alright, it bothers me seeing the strong little girl doin' something vile, degrading, and disgusting— this isn't you."

Silver finally snapped. She raised her piercing silver eyes, and glared back at Reno. "You don't know me, how do you that I don't enjoy this, how do know that I don't find pleasure in dancing in front of men who think I'm beautiful. Shut up, and listen to me; you _don't know me_."

Reno snorted, and rolled his eyes before looking back down at Silver. "They don't think that you're beautiful. To them, you're a piece of meat, one who they can have sexual pleasures with, yo. Don't mistake their intentions, Short-stuff."

Upon hearing her nickname, Silver felt a flutter in her stomach, but she ignored it and tried to get out of Reno's painful grip, but to no avail. "You should know what those guys are thinking, you, after all, paid to watch these girls dance, huh, you see them as a piece of meat too, right? Am I a piece of meat to you, Reno?" She hissed between her teeth. "Huh? Am I?"

Reno's grip became tighter, and more painful, he doesn't seem to know that he's hurting her. His glare intensified, and Silver can finally feel that fear beating in her brain. Reno's titled his head so that his head could be turned slightly. "Don't twist my words, Silver. Don't you even try to take this topic onto me. Don't you even realize what're you doin'?" When Silver lowered her head, Reno scoffed, his lips turning down into a sneer. "'Course you don't."

"What do you want from me?" Silver screamed, her face snapping up to meet his, her face full of agony. She can feel Reno's grip loosen a little, and his face soften a bit, but only a little. "Why are you bothering me, why can't you leave me alone, why aren't you out there with the other men? Why of all people?"

"Just answer my earlier question," Reno growled, not affected by Silver's outburst. "What else are you doin' besides dancin'?"

"Nothing, I'm not doing nothing else."

"Don't lie to me you twit! You and I both know that that's just a shitty lie!" Reno's grip tightened again, and Silver winced from the pain, but Reno didn't seem to notice. "You're prostituting, aren't you?" Silver didn't say anything. Reno growled and shook the small girl. "Why would you do that? Do you want to be seen as a whore, as a home wrecker?"

"I had no other choice," she spoke softly.

"Had no other choice my ass. I would tolerate the dancin', but fucking men for money ain't gonna cut it for me?"

"It's none of your business."

"The hell it is!" Silver didn't say anything to his words she just lowered her head, and forced her tears from falling. She won't cry in front of him again—she won't.

"Please leave."

"Huh, I don't think I heard you right. You want me to _leave_?" Silver nodded. "No."

"Why not?"

"I'm not gonna leave you here alone with these…animals." The soft tone in his voice made Silver feel like there were butterflies in her stomach, she can feel her body feel less tense by his caring attitude, though his steel like grip still show how angry he still is.

"Reno?" Silver took a peek at him, and sighed when she saw Reno's soft eyes. "Were you telling the truth? Do you really want me out of here?"

"Yeah," Reno said without hesitation.

Balling up a fistful of his shirt in both of her hands, Silver let Reno show her desperation, and got a little closer to him. "Please, please help me. I have no money, I was robbed, my bed is ruined, my sheets and pillows are gone, my couch, T.V. is stolen, my food, my utensils, everything, I only have a few clothes left, Reno. You have to help me. I tried looking for different jobs, but most are men who had watched me danced, and others are women who know that their husbands watched me—they hate me Reno! I can't seem to find another job besides this one."

"You need a job? Is that it?"

Silver shook her head. "Not just that, but a new place, where I live it's dangerous, and I lost everything. Do you have an extra house or something? You work for Shinra, right? You have a lot of money."

Reno glared at her. "So you only need me for the money?"

Baffled, Silver glowered and shook Reno. "No you idiot, weren't you listening, I just need a place to stay, somewhere I know no one won't be able to break into. And I don't want your money, I can earn it myself." Softening her look, Silver swallowed her pride begged again. "Please, Reno, I've been working here for far too long, and I can't see those men anymore, I feel disgusting."

Reno swallowed loudly, and gently took Silver's hands away from him, and dropped them. "Alright, I can't guarantee a job—unless you want to work for Shinra?" Reno asked, thinking that that idea would be a good idea, but frowned when Silver shook her head. "Why not, yo?"

Silver couldn't tell him that he doesn't trust Shinra, or anybody who has to do with them, not since Zangan told her that they can't be trusted. At first she was a little skeptical about the old man's statement, but after she watched the news a while back, stating that Sephiroth is dead, and never once did she hear what happened to the village. Silver knows, though, that Shinra knows what happened. She saw they're helicopter with her own eyes, so, after that, she doesn't trust them.

But instead of telling Reno that, she only shrugged her shoulders, and crossed her arms across her chest, partly because she felt the need to, and partly because she suddenly felt naked. "Turks…you guys can fight, right?" she asked looking innocently up at him. He smirked, and Silver took that as a "yes". "Well, I can't, I don't have any experience with violence…so I doubt that'll you'll guys would need someone like me."

She's lying through her teeth. Of course she knows how to defend herself, and inflict pain onto others, she's been training half of her life, and so far she mastered two of the 'Five Animals'. Leopard and Snake, but she still hasn't mastered Tiger since she lost her memories, and ended up somewhere she didn't recognize.

Reno nodded, and began rubbing his chin. "Alright, I know a way to help you, yo." Silver grinned widely, but then faded when Reno jabbed his pointer finger in front of her nose. "But before you say yes, you gotta know where you'll be goin'."

"Where then?"

Reno smirked, turned around and unlocked the door before opening it. He took a step outside, and then turned around towards Silver. He stuck his hand, as if offering help. "My place."

~OxOxO~

_After a few minutes of arguing, Silver ruefully gave in. She pouted and walked all the way to her dress room. She had to kick Reno out, saying that she needed to change, but all he did is scoff, and sent her a lustful look. _"Short-stuff, I already seen you wear little to the imagination, and how would it be different if I watched you put on some jeans and shirt,_" Reno raised an eyebrow. _"Think about it."

_Silver's only response to that is a glare and slamming the door in front of his face. After she dressed into her black jeans, and purple tank-top, Silver got out, and looked for Ramona, and she found her, she told her that she won't be coming back. _

"Eh, kinda expected it, ya know? Well then, good luck, Silver, and I hope I get to see you again, kid." _Silver liked Ramona, and she knew that the older woman won't snitch on her._

_Silver told Reno that she always walked a mile or two back home, but Reno protested, and instead they went in his slick, red car. Silver couldn't help but be amused that his car is the same color as his hair, though she hid it. She also noticed that Reno has a small ponytail. Silver smiled faintly, liking the way it was looking._

_Once Silver and Reno reached her Apartment Building, they had to walk up three flights of stairs. Silver unlocked the door and took a step inside, not bothering to let Reno in, since she knows that he'll just invite himself in. She got her black book bag from under her ruined bed, and threw in what little clothes she had left. Slinging the a single strap on her left shoulder, Silver walked out of her room, and met Reno, in which he raised an eyebrow at her only bag._

"That's it?"

"They took everything,"_ Silver responded, and walked past Reno, walked down the stairs, and opened the passenger seat to the car and sat down._

_The ride to Reno's home was quiet, not awkward, just a peaceful silence. Silver kept peeking at Reno from the corner of her eyes, she doesn't why her eyes seem to be attracted to him, like magnets, even her body seem to be facing his way. She also doesn't understand why she trusts him so much, after all, he does work for Shinra, he's a Turk, an assassin, he can't and shouldn't be trusted, but there's just something about him that makes Silver feel alive inside. Cursing under her breath, Silver scowled at herself, and tore her eyes away from the red-head._

_When they reached his small, yet comfortable looking, white-bricked house, Silver felt a wave of nervousness hit her chest, she doesn't know why, but she ignored it and swallowed the lump in her throat before stepping out of the car._

_They both got out of the car, Silver slowly walking behind Reno, while he calmly walked ahead, whistling and spinning his key chain around his finger. Once they reached the brown wooden door, Reno slid in his key and gave it a small twist, and twisted his door knob. He let Silver in before he did. Silver walked in slowly, and saw Reno's hand throw his key on the small counter on the right side of the door._

_The house is surprisingly…homey, though there weren't any pictures that don't show much of his personality or past, but the atmosphere is good enough for her to feel good. The house is two story high. The carpet is a pale yellow color, and on the left side of the wall are stairs that leads up to the second floor. There are two opening besides the stairs. She guess the one right beside the stairs is the kitchen, since she sees black marble titles beginning on the edge of the new room. The one besides the kitchen is probably the living room. The house is all white, and surprisingly clean and spotless. On the ceiling is a crystal like chandelier, with tiny light bulbs shining comfortably in the room._

_Turning around to face Reno, Silver smiled up at him, and her eyes once again wondered around the house. _"I like it,"_ she couldn't be sure, but Silver thought she heard Reno sigh in relief, but she ignored it. _"It's very homey." _She turned to him again, and saw him smirking slightly._

_Reno pointed his finger at the stair. _"Go upstairs, and you'll see a small hallway. The second door on the right is my room; you'll be sleepin' in there."

_That's the first time Silver argued with Reno in his house._

~OxOxO~

Silver walked into Reno's master bedroom, pouting her lips in resentment to his decision. Reno, though, only stayed quiet in front of her, and showed her the bathroom. He opened bathroom door for her, and Silver said a silent "Thank you", before stepping in.

"Silver?"

The young girl turned around, reacting to her name, and raised an eyebrow at Reno. "What?"

Reno used his index finger to circle his face in the air. "Take that gunk off your face." He smirked at her, which made Silver glare back. "And make sure you take a quick shower, I'll only have one shower in the whole house."

Silver nodded at Reno before he closed the door. Sighing, Silver tossed her back pack on the counter, and rested her hands on top of it. Looking at herself from under her eyelashes, Silver suddenly scowled at herself, not liking the image before her. She looks like a skank, a gothic skank. The only thing that she can recognize of herself is her silver eyes.

Rolling her eyes at herself, Silver grabbed her back pack, zipped open the large pocket, and tried to find some clothes to wear. Satisfied that she found her white panties, her black shirt, and purple shorts, Silver dropped them next to her back pack, and took out her lotion, shampoo and conditioner. She then took the lavender scented shampoo and condition with her, and placed them at the bottom of the bath sink. She turned on the water and waited till it was warm enough to step. Silver stripped off of her clothes, and took a step inside, closing the see-through door.

…

Once Silver got finished showering, she got out, looked for a towel, dried herself, got dressed, and put some lotion onto her skin. With all these tasked finished, Silver took her toothpaste and toothbrush out of her pack, and began brushing her teeth. When she finished, Silver shoved all of her belongings into her back pack, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Finally, why'd you take so long?" Silver's eyes snapped towards Reno's laying body on his wide, white bed. His head is turned toward her, and both of his hands are resting on the back of his head.

Silver eyes wondered back on the ground while she walked to his bed and sat next to his feet. "I like taking long showers," she shrugged. "Helps me think."

"Huh," Reno mumbled, as he got up into a sitting position and scooted closer to Silver. He leans over and rests his elbows on his knees, "never took you as a thoughtful person."

Silver sent him a sideway glance. "There's a lot about me you don't know about."

It was quiet for a moment, and Silver can feel Reno's eyes burning holes through her face, but she refused to look at him, his eyes are too hypnotizing for her comfort.

"What happened to you, yo?"

"Huh?" Silver asked, still not looking his way.

Reno grabbed Silver's left arm. She didn't pull away—mostly because she likes the feel of his skin—but because she was confused by his actions. Silver watched Reno's long, pale finger trace over several tiny, clean scars that she received years ago. Silver cursed herself in her mind for forgetting to put on some cover up on her body, and wished that she have had put on some yoga pants instead to cover the scars on her legs, but she kept herself composed.

"Oh, I ummm," Silver sighed happily when she thought of the perfect lie. "I got them when I was running in the forest; the little branches kept slapping me."

"How come you didn't get any on your face, yo?"

"I lowered my head, but a big branch came out of nowhere and gave me this," Silver twisted her face so that the right side of her cheek showed. Reno's eyes widen a little when he took a look at Silver's large scar on her face. Now that she took all the make-up off, he can completely see every single scar on her face. Silver casted her eyes down.

"That's a clean cut, there's no way a branch could've done this." Reno lifted his hand and was about to touch Silver's scar, but stopped when she backed away. "That must have been one sharp branch, yo."

Silver nodded in agreement, and raised her eyes to meet Reno's. His look surprised her. It's calculating, observing, disbelieving. She should have known that Reno would know that she was lying, he's a Turk! They're sly, cunning, and can practically detect anything. But Silver didn't show her surprise, and gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah it was."

"Hmph," Reno's calculating eyes traveled down to her legs, and frowned at the other little scars.

"I didn't feel anything, if that's what you were wondering, I was too in shock to feel anything else," Silver tried comforting him, but still, his frown wouldn't let up when his eyes raised back to her face. And remembering Sephiroth in her mind, Silver wanted to know exactly happened to him, Zack, Cloud and the village. "Reno," she said melancholy, "what happened to them?"

Reno glanced at her in a confused manner, his eyebrows raised in question. "Whatcha mean, Short-stuff?"

_He's a good liar,_ Silver thought, but knew better than to trust his words.

Silver rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I think you know what I mean, Reno. What really happened to Sephiroth, Zack, and Cloud—the village?"

"I don't know, Silver, really, I don't." Silver sent him a disbelieving stare but didn't push him any further.

Though she wanted to know what happened to Zack and Cloud. Are they dead, or are they alive safe and sound somewhere far from Midgar. Something at the back of her mind kept saying that it was neither. It's unnerving, knowing some things, but yet knowing nothing. Silver wants to know what happened to her friends, its nerve wrecking not to know. But she pushed those thoughts aside, since she knows that her emotions will soon show on her face, and sighed. Silver grabbed her back pack from beside her and got up, but a warm hand stopped her and dragged her back down.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" Reno asked, and got up from his bed.

Silver raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to sleep on the couch downstairs."

Reno scoffed, and pushed Silver back down when she tried getting up. "Nah-uh, Short-stuff, you're the guest, you sleep on my bed, alright?"

Silver shook her head, and stubbornly pouted her lips. "No, I'll feel guilty, Reno, I have a guilty conscious, I just can't take your bed, then I'll be tossing and turning all night, and I won't be able to sleep, and I just can't do that, Reno."

Reno sighed in defeat, and Silver smiled happily, and said, "And just so that you'll know, I'm a very light sleeper, so don't try to take me here, alright?" before pushing Reno out of her way, and rushed out of room, and ran downstairs. Though all the lights downstairs were turned off, she can still see, so she entered the living room, and walked to the black, large, and soft couch. It was cold outside, but inside the house was warm, so Silver knew that she didn't need a blanket. Dropping her back pack onto the floor, Silver began lying down on the comfy couch, and closed her eyes, drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

….

The next morning, Silver woke up only to find herself on Reno's bed! Puffing air out of her mouth, Silver tossed the blanket away, and began stomping out of the room, and down the stairs, and into the living. Stopping in front of the couch, she almost decided not to wake Reno up when she saw him lying peacefully on the couch, but before she stopped, she picked up her back pack off the floor and threw it on Reno, making him wake with a start.

Reno glared up at her, and rubbed his droopy eyes. "What was that for, yo?"

"I told you not to take me to your room, you jackass."

Reno yawned and then smirked, before lying back down on the couch. "Not my fault, Short-stuff. You said you were a light sleeper," Reno chuckled. "Guess you're not."

Silver "Hmphed" and walked away into the kitchen to make breakfast.

~OxOxO~

_As time passed, Silver's feelings for Reno began to grow, though she completely ignored them. But every time he did something nice to her, like buying her a bed, buying paint to paint her room, helping her find a job (which she never got), let Rude visit, and bought her clothes, she would feel a flutter in her heart that makes her want to hug Reno forever, but she only ignore it once again. She can't help but feel afraid of feeling something for the Turk, he isn't worth trusting, he works for Shinra, he lies—she can't trust him. But she wants to, she wants to hold him, kiss him. And that feeling only intensified when Reno came home a year later all beaten up and bloodied, did her feelings push her over the edge._

_~OxOxO~_

"Reno, what the hell happened?" Silver yelled, and dropped her book on the floor when she got up to walked up to an injured Reno. He has cuts on his faces; there are slashes on his suit, and a big dark black eye. He looks like hell.

Standing up on the tip of her toes, Silver gently cradled Reno's face. His eyes are so droopy. His green eyes are focusing and zooming out on her face, he looked almost drunk. Biting on her lower lip, Silver grabbed Reno's hand with hers and half dragged, and half carried him onto the couch. She gently pushed him onto the couch, and ran into the kitchen to the fridge to get a couple of ice and wrapped them up in a small dishrag, and ran back to the living room and plopped down next to Reno.

"What happened, Reno?" Silver asked, while gently tapping the ice on his face. Even her gentle touch is enough to make him wince in pain.

"Nothing."

Silver scoffed. "Yeah, sure, like I would believe that."

Reno chuckled bitterly, but cringed in pain, and grabbed his abdomen. Silver's eyebrows furrowed in worry, and she began unbuttoning his dress shirt, and hissed at the image. It's all black and purple, and it looks like some blood is coming out.

"Reno, this isn't nothing, we need to go to the hospital." Reno shook his head. "I'm not playing around Reno, we have to go."

"No, it'll heal itself, yo. Trust me."

_That's the problem, _Silver thinks to herself, _I don't._

"Reno, let's just get you into bed, yeah?" Silver stood up, and grabbed one of Reno's hands, but he used that hand to drag her back down, and now they're dangerously close—so, so close.

Silver licked her suddenly dry lips. "Come on Reno, you need to get some rest."

Reno shook his head. "No, no, I don't wanna, please…stay?"

Instead of saying "yes" like she wanted, she only said, "What happened?"

Reno shrugged. "Me and Rude went in a mission, it involved these thugs. I chased after the big one; he had a baseball bat…and those fists. He beat me up, but I knocked him out. Rude came later and took the guy away, I came back here."

Silver shook her head and scoffed at Reno's story. "You shouldn't do that, Reno. You shouldn't risk yourself like that."

Reno's piercing eyes suddenly snapped to meet Silver's so fast, that she swears that it looks like those eyes are looking through her very soul. "Why do you care, yo?"

The sudden question caught Silver off guard. Why did she care? Why does she get these funny feelings every time he's around? Why can't she keep her eyes off of him? Why can't she keep him out of her mind? Why is his scent so intoxicating? Why is it that his eyes are able to read her so well, why does she like them so much? Why can't she shake off that good warm feeling she gets off of his skin? Why does she care? She knows why, but couldn't bring herself to answer the question.

Instead she said, "Because I do, Reno. You're my friend."

Reno scoffed. "Friends?" Silver nodded. "Silver," his voice suddenly became very husky, he's coming too close. Silver couldn't seem to pull away—she doesn't want to. She keeps staring at his lips when they come even closer than before.

"Reno?"

"Hmm?"

"Stop. Please?" Reno's response to her plea is his bloodied lip softly touching hers. She didn't respond at first—she resisted it. But she couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the spark of warmth that overwhelmed her, even if he tasted like blood. She doesn't care, all she could feel his moving lips on her still ones.

When Reno deepened the kiss by moving his lips more urgently, that's when she gave in. Closing her eyes and cupping her hands on either side of his face, she began moving her lips with his. She doesn't know what drove her to do so, but she just couldn't deny anymore, it's hard for to do so, especially if the person she's denying is Reno. She learned so much about him this past year. He's a benevolent man, but he just doesn't like showing it. She likes seeing the softer side of Reno. Silver sighed at the sparks of warmth that ignited in her and pulled him closer to her.

Silver pulled away though, partly because she couldn't breathe, and because she felt him cringe. She almost forgot about his injuries.

"Reno, you need to go to bed." Reno nodded, and tried kissing Silver but she turned her head away before he could. Sighing, Reno got up, wincing and cringing along the way, with Silver at his side.

"All the medical crap is under the sink in the kitchen, could you get it?" Silver nodded. "I'll drag myself to bed, yo."

Reno sent Silver a teasing smile, and started limping out of the room, and up the stairs. Momentarily distracted by the warmth on her lips, Silver shook her head and ran into the kitchen. Opening the cabinet, Silver's sharp eyes immediately found the large Medical kit. Picking it up, Silver ran and didn't bother closing the cabinet door. She quickly ran up the stairs and into Reno's room.

Shutting the door behind her, Silver walked to his bed and sat down next to him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and smirked.

"Didn't know you cared so much, Short-stuff."

Silver eyed her companion's teasing smile, and his lustful stare. She blushed under his gaze and distracted herself by opening the Medical kit and pulling out a gauze bandage.

Silver jerked her head to Reno's blue jacket and white dress shirt. "Take them off." Silver blushed even more at Reno's smirk, but obeyed anyhow without any comments, and Silver is thankful because of it. Reno tossed his white shirt and jacket behind him, and waited for Silver's next command.

"I'm going to put this gauze around you, alright? So I need you to get up."

Reno shook his head and mumbled something under his breath, but Silver paid no mind, and got up with him, and began wrapping him with the white cloth until his entire abdomen and the top half of his chest were covered. Silver had to use at least two rolls of gauze.

"Okay, sit back down." Reno did as she said, but kept his green eyes on her as she picked up a plastic bottle alcohol and some tissue wipes.

"What are you doin'?"

Silver glanced at him for a second, but her gaze went back to the bottle. She unscrewed the bottle cap, and balled up the tissue, and placed in on the opening of the bottle. She tipped the bottle upside down so that some alcohol dampens the tissue. Satisfied with the wet tissue, Silver screwed the bottle cap on and placed the bottle back in the Medical kit, and got some large bandages.

"Silver, alcohol stings." Silver rolled her eyes at the frightened look in Reno's eyes, eyeing the wet tissue as if it was some kind of monster.

"Reno, pain is good, pain means that you're not dead, pain means you can take anything." Silver gave him an encouraging nod. Reno sighed in defeat and stood still. Silver gently tapped the tissue onto one of open wound, but rolled her eyes when he hissed. "Suck it up and take it like a man."

"Easy for you to say, yo," Silver heard him mumbled but didn't respond back, and kept treating his wounds.

After an hour of constant hissing and whining, Silver finally cleaned all of Reno's open wounds, and began placing the bandages on his wounds.

"You know," he began, "I could have used cure materia, yo. It would have been much simpler."

Silver rolled her eyes. "If you chose the easy way out, then you wouldn't have been able to learn from your mistake."

"And what was my mistake."

"Being reckless." Silver smiled in relief when she finally finished with Reno. "Not everything in life has to be easy, Reno. You just have to take the pain, and hope for the better."

Reno scoffed at her small speech and nudged her with his elbow. "Whatever, Short-stuff. Once my scars are healed, I'm gonna take them away with the materia. I ain't gonna let some small scratches ruin my perfectly shaped face, yo." Silver chuckled and playfully pushed Reno. Suddenly, Reno became serious. His lips pulled down to a frown, and his playful eyes now hold such curiosity.

"What's wrong?" Silver asked.

"Remember, back at the village, you said that you were attacked by a monster." Silver nodded. "You still have those scars?" Silver started playing with her fingers as a distraction to Reno's question. "I'll take that as a yes." Silver didn't say anything. "Can I see them, yo?"

Silver sighed quietly, and slowly began pulling up her purple tank-top, and stopped when the tank-top reached her breast. Knowing Reno couldn't see the three large gashes in her angle, mostly because of the darkening sky, she began lying on the bed, so Reno can get a full view. She didn't pay him any mind, and traced the ragged scars with her index fingers.

"I can't believe it yo," Reno gasped, and grabbed Silver's hand so that she would stop touching the scars. "How can someone so little, like you, not die with those damn scars?"

Silver didn't respond and watched Reno look at her scars in horror. She suddenly felt self-conscious, and began pulling down her tank-top. Reno made no move to stop her, and began staring at her face. Reno lowered himself onto the bed, so that he can be leaning against his fist.

"Why did you keep 'em?"

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

Reno pointed to her abdomen. "Your scars, why didn't you just get rid of them with materia, yo?"

Silver shrugged and looked past Reno. "I guess…I wanted to keep some memory that would remind me of Aiden. Even if I didn't know him for long, he did save my _life_. I want him to stay in my memories."

"Aiden," Reno narrowed his eyes in concentration. "The guy that died in Nibelheim, right?" Silver nodded. "Your memories, have you been regaining them lately?"

"No, not since I moved in with you."

Reno lowered his eyes, as if he was ashamed. Silver felt her heart skip a beat at how defenseless Reno looks. Cupping his chin with her left hand, she pulled Reno towards her until they were both touching each other's lips. Silver kissed him ever so slightly—she doesn't want him to get hurt over his swollen lips—and pulled away. "Get some sleep," she whispered.

Silver got up from the bed, and began walking away. Before she walked out of the room, she turned around and saluted him goodnight. She turned and walked again, closing the door behind her.

~OxOxO~

_That night, she didn't sleep at all. All she could think about is Reno's kiss, and the perfect comfort he brings to her. She's scared of him though, and she knows she shouldn't, but she can't help but think that he might break her trust at any waking moment. But she's also scared of the feelings she has towards him. She was never so…willing to love someone, so easily to sacrifice herself for someone, but she's willing to do anything to please Reno—anything…and that scares her more than anything._

_So, early in the morning, she packed her bags in her suitcases and left a note on her bed, just in case Reno came in here explaining her reason of leaving. The only thing that she didn't pack is the purple fingerless gloves that Reno bought for her on her birthday. They were replicas of the old ones that were stolen from her a year and a half ago. She put her gloves on her hands and ran away from Reno._

_She didn't know where to go, she didn't have any gil to buy anything, she could have stolen money from Reno, but she couldn't do that to him. So she traveled all day long through Sector 7, until she found a bar called 7__th__ Heaven. It seems like it was the only building that had some kind of humanity in it. Decided to rest in the bar for a while, she stepped inside with her suitcase in tow._

_It wasn't like she expected a bar to be. The bars she's use to are full of horny, angry, hungry, drunk, and high men or women, but Seventh Heaven isn't like that at all. It's sort of…homey, and safe. The people were laughing and socializing like they were all bunch of old friends. The men weren't sleazy in the least, most of them were holding onto some woman like they were their prized possession._

_Silver smiled at the scene, and sat down at a stool in front of the bar table, placing her suitcase next to her right leg. The bartender in front of her was washing dishes. The back of her head looks familiar; long, black-brown hair, she just doesn't know from where, but Silver figured it out when the bartender turned around to face her._

~OxOxO~

Silver stared dumbfounded at the tall and beautiful girl standing in front of her with the same bewildered expression. "T-Tifa?"

Silver couldn't believe that she's seeing Tifa once again. The last time Silver saw her was when Zangan was holding her unconscious body, before Silver walked away from them, so seeing the younger girl stand before her perfectly healed, left Silver out of breath. She should have expected that she was going to see Tifa again, they both lived in Midgar, but it was just that she never saw her all those years that made Silver forget both Zangan and Tifa. And she lived in Sector 7 for two years and not once did she hear of the bar called _7__th__ Heaven_, that is, until now.

"Tifa." Silver slowly got up from her seat, eyeing the taller girl like she was some kind of ghost. To Silver, Tifa is a ghost. She wanted to get away from anybody, or anything, that would remind her of her somewhat home, Nibelheim. And Tifa is that reminder. But it doesn't mean that Silver isn't happy to know that Tifa is okay.

Now fully standing, Silver leaned across the table, her hand on either side of the table. "Tifa, you're okay."

The martial artist nodded slowly, her widen eyes still shock with surprise. "Yeah."

Silver tilted her head to the side, and let her face show her relief. "I'm glad, Tifa, really." Tifa sent her a stiff nod. Silver looked around the bar, and studied Tifa standing behind the table. "Why are you here?"

Tifa shrugged and took a step closer to the smaller girl. "I work here."

Raising an eyebrow in question, Silver chuckled, and sat back down. "You're what, 18, 19 years old?" Silver's tone is teasing. "Aren't you a little young to be working in a bar?"

"Aren't you a little too small to be coming in one?" Tifa teased back, finally coming close enough so that she's leaning over the table, smiling at Silver.

Silver frowned at Tifa's words. "No, no, Tifa, don't misunderstand. I'm not short, I'm fun sized." Tifa chuckled, and shook her head, though Silver can still see some tension behind her amused smile, like she was holding back some hard memories.

Turning her face into a serious mask, Silver's hand gripped onto Tifa's wrist, grabbing her attention. Silver sent her a sad smile, and squeezed Tifa's wrist. "How are you…_really_?"

Silver new Tifa understood her meaning when the small girl saw the taller one's eyes began to darken with sadness and hints of anger. "I'm fine."

Silver shook her head at Tifa. "I understand, Tifa, I do. I know what you're going through." Silver then proceeded to twist her head to the side so that her scar was staring face to face with Tifa. "See that there? Sephiroth gave me this, and all of the other tiny scars you see on my arms." Silver turned her face again so that she'll be facing Tifa. "You're angry, aren't you? Scarred for life by all those lives taken away?" Silver nodded. "You suffered more, since you watched your hometown being burned to ashes by that one man who was thought to be a hero…You want revenge, don't you?"

It was quiet, not even the loud chatters seem loud enough to cover up their tense silence. Tifa's eyes seemed to darken some more, but Silver kept her eyes locked with Tifa's. She wanted to let her know that she wasn't lying about those words that she just shared, she means them, and hopes that Tifa doesn't take them as just a pity.

"Why are you here, Silver?" Tifa asked, finally breaking the tension between the two.

Silver's mind drifts off to Reno and how she abandoned him, she scowled, but answered Tifa's question. "I'm looking for a place to stay. Just came here to rest before I go out again."

Nodding to herself, Tifa stood straight and began walking toward the door a besides her. Before walking out, Tifa turned halfway, her arms crossed, and sent her a secretive smile. "Come meet me, we need to talk."

~OxOxO~

_And they did talk. They talked about a lot of things. They talked about their lives, Silver even shared about being a stripper, though she kept Reno a secret since she knew how much Tifa hates Shinra. And Tifa shared about her life, about she was taken in by a man named Barrett, apparently the same man who Silver found so familiar and met Barrett's daughter, Marlene. It seems like Tifa had a better life here in Midgar then she would ever have, and Silver's glad, all thanks to Barrett._

_Later that night, Tifa introduced Silver to the people living with her. Barrett, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge. Marlene was asleep._

"Do I know you from somewhere?"_ Barrett had asked. Silver wanted to say yes, but instead shook her head—no._

_They welcomed her with open hands, except for that red-head; Jessie. Silver knows Jessie doesn't like her because of her past. When Tifa shared about Silver's experience, and what she did for a living, Jessie's eyes immediately began glaring at Silver, and Silver sent her a glare as well. But the others were nice, especially Barrett. Silver guesses that Barrett has a soft spot for broken girls._

_That night, Silver went to sleep on the large couch, she didn't mind, it was comfortable._

….

_The next day, Silver woke up only to find large brown eyes stare innocently at her. Yawning, and sitting up, Silver smiled down at the small girl, in which the girl shyly smiled back._

"Marlene, right?"_ Silver had asked. The girl nodded. Smiling even wider, Silver stuck out her hand. _"Hello there Marlene, my name's Silver."

_From that day and forward, the two were very close, though Marlene is even closer to Barrett. Though Silver found Marlene so familiar, especially those doe like eyes, but she once again dismissed those thoughts._

….

_A year later in March 5__th__, Tifa and the gang finally told Silver about their anti-Shinra group called AVALANCHE. Silver made eye contact with Tifa, in which she Tifa responded back with a smirk. This was her revenge—no, not just Tifa's revenge, but _all_ of their revenge. Each member had a bad memory in where Shinra was involved, including Marlene. Silver doesn't hate Shinra, though she distaste they're lack of truth, ignorance, and manipulation, but she doesn't hate them, just for what it stands for._

_They had asked her if she wanted to join. Silver didn't hesitate before she answered, _"Yes."

_They went on several missions on intent to destroy the Mako Reactors that sucked the life out of the planet, but they haven't succeeded. They did once, but it was minimal damage. Though over the months, they had been able to destroy the Reactors. Shinra found out about AVALANCHE and had made them seem like the bad guys, putting people against them, though the civilians don't know their identity. Silver started to Shinra more and more, with the lies that they came up with, and after six months of staying with Tifa and the gang, she began to loathe Shinra._

….

_During the months, both Tifa and Silver had been practicing on their marital arts skill by sparring with each other. Tifa's fast, but Silver is faster. Silver is strong, but Tifa is stronger. Tifa is slick and nimble, but Silver is slicker, and flexible. Silver has good endurance, but Tifa's endurance is outstanding. In the end, they're both great fighters, though Tifa wins half of the time._

…_._

_On her twenty second birthday, Silver went out for a walk around the slums when she found an abandoned church in Sector 5. Her curiosity got the better of her, so Silver entered the church. It was dusty, dirty, torn apart, but yet, she felt happy in the church, there was this certain energy she got from it. In the left corver of the church was a large roundish garden full of white and yellow lillies. Silver smiled at the sight, realizing that that was the first time she ever saw a flower in Midgar. The beams of light shooting through the hole of the ceiling only made the flowers more beautiful._

_Silver walked up the garden, and carefully pulled out a yellow Lilly, before running out of the church. _

…_. _

_Her life…this was her life now, she loves it— she does. But she couldn't but feel like something bad is gonna happen…and soon_

_

* * *

_

_September 19__th__, 0007_

* * *

"They can't be serious," Reno says to his partner, flying through the hot desert in search of the two fugitives. "There's no way we're gonna find two needles in a haystack _this _size."

Rude turned to his partner, needing to remind him of they're priorities. "There's no mission that's impossible for the—"

"Turks, yeah yeah," Reno said impatiently. He doesn't know how many times Rude had said that, though he guesses that it's been too many times.

Rude looked back in front of him, staring at the nothingness of the desert and grunted, and then Tseng popped into his mind and what he had requested from him. "Also…Tseng apparently has something to give him."

"Who, the target?"

Rude grunted again in acknowledgement.

Turning to face Rude, Reno sent him a disbelieving look. "So we're courtiers now, delivering packages to fugitives, huh?" Reno asked sarcastically, he then proceeded to scoff, and shake his head in disbelief.

The useless tasked Tseng gave them reminded him of those five years ago when he first met Silver. He regrets meeting her though, ever since she left that day, he knew he should have bailed that task. His anger is even more dangerous than it was before, he even became sadistic. And he hates Silver for that. Rude doesn't know how much her disappearance affected him, he wouldn't show it.

The sudden high noise in his earphones snapped Reno out of his angered thoughts, and placed his hand on it to listen closely. _"Reno, Rude, status?"_ Cissnei commanded.

"We got nothing," Reno responded back.

"You?" Rude asked the younger girl.

"_Likewise." _Reno noticed how the young red-head voice's sounded sadden, hurt. He narrowed his eyes in concentration and began wondering why Cissnei cared so much about those two guys. True, he doesn't want Zack or the kid to die, but it doesn't mean he cares for them, maybe it's just him. Cissnei, Rude, and Tseng all seem to care more than he does.

"_I'm heading to Point 235," _the young girl informed. _"You two take Point 120."_

Rude nodded. "Roger."

"Alright," sighing, Reno grabbed onto his cyclic stick and turned a left, "let's get goin'."

What they found later that day was Zack's lifeless body on the hard ground, his face looking more peaceful then it has ever been. Zack's happy smile would forever haunt Reno's thoughts.

___

* * *

___

___December 9th, 0007_

* * *

It's a typical day in _7__th__ Heaven_. Silver is doing the usual; cleaning up the bar, since it's closed now. She doesn't mind, she likes helping, but since Tifa had gone out with Barrett, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge to destroy the Sector 1 Reactor, she was doing everything by herself. Sighing, Silver stopped mopping the floor and wiped off the sweat off of her forehead before continuing.

Five years, it's been five years since the incident had happened. All those things she experienced were kept locked away in her mind, especially Reno. She seen him wandering around Midgar like she has, but she would hide away until he was gone. Naturally, she's ashamed, how can she not be, when she left him just like that. She didn't consider his feelings; she was too indulged in her own to even consider what she could have done to Reno. But then again, maybe all he wanted from her was nothing but sex, but wouldn't he have at least tried to get in her pants in that year she stayed with him? It doesn't matter anymore, Silver left end of story.

All she wants are her memories back, she didn't regain one single memory since staying with Reno, and she regrets it. Everything she sees is so damn familiar too, and that irks her, knowing that she's been in this place before, but yet…not knowing. Tifa tells her that she just needs to be patient, that it'll come soon enough, but it's been three years now, and not one memory attacked her.

"Stop thinking of that, Silver," she mumbled to herself. Silver sighed and stopped mopping, satisfied with the spotless floor.

Silver isn't worried about her friends (excluding Jessie, that is), they know how to take care of themselves, and they're experience fighters, especially Tifa and Barrett. But what she didn't like was that she had to stay and not do anything to help them, but someone had to take care of Marlene just in case something happened, so that's why she's here. And so far, it's been about three hours since she last saw them. She wonders what's taking them so long.

And just as soon as she thought that, the door slammed open. Jumping from the sudden noise, Silver sharply turned towards the door and dropped the mop in her hand. Biggs and Wedge come running in, like excited little children.

Silver raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I guess it was a success?"

Biggs laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, dragging her to a seat. "It sure was, but we didn't do all by ourselves, ya know."

"Yeah," Wedge mumbled taking a seat in front of them. "Tifa dragged this kid out with us. He's great, helped us out, he even help Jessie get unstuck."

"What about me?" _And speak of the devil_. Silver rolled her eyes at the sudden new high pitched voice, and turned to look at her. Jessie eyed her strangely, but otherwise ignored her and snapped her eyes towards Wedge again. "What did you say about me?"

"Nothing, just told Silver here what Cloud did for ya—?"

"Wait, wait," Silver help up her hands to silence the older man, "did you just say, _Cloud_?" Wedge nodded, eyeing the girl in concern when he saw her eyes just about to bulge out.

"You know him or somethin'?" Biggs's hand tapped Silver's chin with his index finger, silently telling her to keep her head up.

Silver shrugged at his question. "Or something."

"They're comin' their way here, Silver, I think you best be prepared to see that kid again." Biggs told her softly, getting up from the recliner sofa so that Silver is able to get up.

Jessie scoffed and walked away from Silver, muttering under her breath. Silver believed she heard Jessie say, "Whore," under her breath. The tiny girl felt a pang of anger in her body, but she swallowed back her anger and half turned her body around so that she'll be able to watch the door, waiting…just waiting for _him_ to appear.

The kid, he's only 21 years old now, Silver can't believe that 5 years had passed since they're last encounter, and seeing him again feels almost surreal, like at any waking moment, Cloud would just disappear again.

And if Cloud is alive then that means…that must mean that Zack must be too!

"Please," Silver whispered. "Please, let them both be in one piece, I beg of you…Gods and Goddess?" Silver cringed at the bad small prayer she just did and opened her eyes when Tifa came in completely flushed and confused.

"Tifa—"

The younger girl took Silver by her hands and dragged her to the door. "Silver you remember Cloud? You said you met him?" Silver nodded, but then frowned at Tifa's strange look.

"What's wrong, Teefs?"

"It's Cloud, Sil, there's something wrong with him, something str—"

Before Tifa could even finish the sentence, Barrett came storming in muttering things like, "Damn SOLDIER— don't trust him." Barrett glanced at Silver and sent her a firm nod, though his small smile is enough to show her that he isn't mad, just frustrated.

Then walking through the door was the boy—no, man—Silver hasn't seen in years. It was like seeing the dead coming back to life, all those hard memories of him getting stabbed, all those little arguments they use have back in Nibelheim came back to her with such force. She stood there, staring…nervous and scared. One thing is to hear others saying that he's back, but when Silver actually sa_w_ him, it was like a sucker punch to the face. And he too stood at the doorway, staring, shocked.

"Cloud?" He didn't say anything.

Minutes ticked by, and everybody in the room still stood in the same exact place. Barrett glaring at Cloud, Tifa holding onto Silver's hands, Jessie at the back of the room, and Biggs and Wedge sitting beside the tense scene.

Cloud cleared his throat and vanished all emotion off his face, before he finally spoke with a smirk. "Silver…nice to see you're still alive."

_______

* * *

_

**I know I took forever to update, but I was just so lazy and busy that I guess that time just flew by...so...sorry.**

**And by the way, I would like to thank my new fanfic buddy **_XSakixTakashiX_ **for reviewing and adding this story to her favorites. You guys need to read her Genesis story, it is truly...EPIC. I'm obsessed with it! If you want you can read it...here's the link... .net/s/6030353/1/My_Final_Fantasy**

**Now go, go, go read it!**

**I know you guys are reading this story, I've been getting a lot of hits lately, so please, please review! Your reviews are what keep me going (Partly, I'm just really inspired by this story for some reason)**

**Either way, please review!**

**Virtual cookies, if you do?**

**=D**


End file.
